Quentin Deranque died last week after a brawl with alleged members of an anti-fascist group, causing an uproar in France
More than 3,200 people marched through the French city of Lyon on Saturday to honor Quentin Deranque, a nationalist activist killed following a street brawl with alleged far-left militants.
Deranque, a 23-year-old mathematics student and member of the identitarian group Audace Lyon, died on February 14 from head injuries sustained two days earlier in a fight with left-wing activists as he was acting as informal security for protesters from the right-wing women’s group Nemesis.
His death caused an uproar across France, with Interior Minister Laurent Nunez describing the tragedy as “a deliberate homicide” and “a lynching.” Eleven individuals have been arrested, with some having links to the left-wing collective Jeune Garde. Two of those arrested were parliamentary assistants to Raphael Arnault, an MP from the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) party.
The march in tribute to Deranque featured banners reading ‘Justice for Quentin’, ‘The far-left kills’, ‘Antifa murderers,’ and ‘Jeune Garde in prison, free the city of Lyon’. Videos on social media show people laying flowers at the spot where the activist was attacked.
The march ended without clashes. According to the authorities, one person threw an egg from a building and another was detained for carrying a knife and hammer. The event saw brief verbal altercations between anti-fascist groups on the fringes and protesters. Order was maintained by a police cordon.
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The authorities reported that several participants made Nazi salutes and chanted racist and homophobic slurs. Lyon Mayor Gregory Doucet, who had insisted on banning the march, pledged to work with the authorities to ensure that those responsible are “brought to justice,” adding that he “does not want Lyon to be the capital of the far right.”
The Deranque scandal has deepened France’s political divide ahead of local elections in March 2026 and a presidential election next year, with polling suggesting that the right-wing National Rally could make significant gains. National Rally President Jordan Bardella urged supporters not to attend the march, saying the party should not be associated with it.
