Additional Coverage:
11 Arrested in Fatal Attack on Student Activist in Lyon
Lyon, France – Authorities have arrested eleven individuals in connection with the deadly assault on a far-right student activist during a protest in Lyon last week. The victim, 23-year-old Quentin Deranque, succumbed to a severe brain injury on Saturday following the attack.
Prosecutor Thierry Dran stated that Deranque was “thrown to the ground and beaten by at least six individuals” during the incident. Nine suspects were initially apprehended, with two more arrests made hours later. These individuals are believed to have either directly participated in the assault or provided support.
The protest, held at the Lyon Institute of Political Studies, was organized against a conference featuring Rima Hassan, a European Union Member of Parliament representing the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI).
Déranque, a mathematics student, was attending the demonstration to provide protection for the Némésis collective, a far-right, anti-immigration group. Members of Némésis have attributed the attack to far-left activists. Among those arrested are individuals reportedly affiliated with La Jeune Garde, or “The Young Guard.”
Both Hassan and other LFI members have condemned the violence. LFI politician Raphaël Arnault confirmed the arrest of his parliamentary assistant, Jacques-Elie Favrot, for his alleged involvement in the attack, adding that Favrot has “ceased all parliamentary work.”
LFI, with 70 members of Parliament, is led by veteran politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a prospective candidate in next year’s presidential election. Mélenchon expressed his condolences on Sunday, stating, “We express our consternation, but also our empathy and compassion for [Déranque’s] family and friends. We have said dozens of times that we oppose all forms of violence.”
In a related development, LFI’s national headquarters were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving a bomb threat. LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard confirmed the evacuation on social media, assuring that all employees and activists were safe and that police services were on site.