French killing of far-right activist sparks widespread protests amid destabilized political climate

PARIS (CN) — France’s political climate is heating up as protests erupt across the country. The killing of Quentin Deranque, the far-right activist, has prompted demonstrations and counter anti-fascist protests on Saturday as French President Emmanuel Macron urges “everyone to remain calm.”

“This is a moment of reflection and respect for our young compatriot who was killed,” he told reporters during the opening of the Salon d’Agriculture, an annual agriculture fair in Paris. “In the Republic, no violence is legitimate.”

On Feb. 14, Quentin Deranque accompanied the far-right feminist group Némésis to a protest outside the Lyon Institute of Political Studies, where far-left France Unbowed lawmaker Rima Hassan was speaking. During a brawl with far-left activists, Deranque was brutally beaten and died two days later from his injuries.

The killing has sparked nationwide outrage and rising tensions, with experts warning the far right could exploit the incident for political gain.

“For France, this is the ‘Charlie Kirk moment’ that Trump's America experienced a few months ago with the assassination of Charlie Kirk by a murderer claiming to be anti-fascist,” Dominique de Villepin, France’s former prime minister, wrote on X on Thursday. “This is a moment aimed at delegitimizing a segment of the political spectrum and portraying the triumphant far-right as a victim.”

The killing came at a pivotal moment in French politics, with municipal elections set for March and candidates already positioning themselves for the 2027 presidential race.

The National Rally, long seen as taboo and unlikely to win power, has pursued a de facto normalization campaign in recent years and appears poised to lead the race. Luc Rouban, author of “The Social Roots of Political Violence,” believes the party could use Deranque’s killing to its political advantage.

“It's true that it plays enormously in favor of the National Rally, which can speak on two levels,” he explained. “Firstly, we are correct, and our opponents are violent and dangerous people; Secondly, all of this terrible violence comes to demonstrate that we are in a position of strength and that our adversaries have no arguments to oppose us except violence and killing our supporters.”

France Unbowed is trying to distance itself from the Young Gard, the group of activists that killed Duranque. However, its leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has previously expressed support for the group, which the far-right is using against him.

“France Unbowed is being accused, indirectly, of having participated in this assassination,” Michel Wieviorka, a French political sociologist and former president of the International Sociological Association, explained. “In short, it’s an opportunity for political exploitation, that’s basically the landscape.”

On Saturday, protests and counter-protests erupted in Lyon, Rennes and other cities across France. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he will be holding a government meeting next week to “take stock of the violent action groups that are active and have links with political parties of any kind.”

Politically motivated killings are rare in France, where protests and heated political debate are part of the cultural fabric, but experts say the attack may point to a deeper crisis within society.

“The weakening of the state means that ultimately, today, you have violence that has multiplied,” Rouban said. “We never would have imagined, even a few years ago, that people would be killed because they were in positions of protest.”

Xavier Crettiez, a political scientist and professor at Sciences Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye, said social movements have hardened in recent years, with more aggressive protesters and increasingly violent police repression tactics.

“It's true that in recent years, like with the yellow vests, there were social movements and demonstrations that were much tougher, much more tense, often with a much more brutal maintenance of order,” he said. “That obviously plays a role, because we realize the increase in violence is mostly during demonstrations and social movements.”

In the aftermath of Duranque’s killing, many are drawing comparisons to Charlie Kirk.

“I hope we don't experience the political climate of the United States and its tensions, but we might not escape it,” Crettiez said. “Maybe if the far right… came to power, we could have something a bit equivalent to what you've known since Donald Trump's arrival to the presidency of the United States — we know from experience that what affects the United States can sometimes affect us ten or fifteen years later.” 

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