Thousands of people marched in Lyon on Saturday after the killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, who was beaten to death last week by people described as hard-left activists. The incident has shocked the country.
Many in the crowd wore surgical masks and sunglasses to hide their faces. They chanted “we are at home" and “antifa assassin".
Local authorities said they had reported Nazi salutes and racist insults seen in videos from the march to prosecutors.
Police had feared violence in Lyon, a city known for both far-right and antifascist groups. Although the march had mostly dispersed by 8:00 p.m., extra police remained deployed overnight.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged calm ahead of the rallies and said he would meet ministers next week to discuss violent groups.
Former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin called the killing of Deranque, 23, “France’s Charlie Kirk moment", referring to the fatal shooting of a U.S. conservative activist last year.
Seven people are under formal investigation over Deranque’s death, including a former aide to a lawmaker from the hard-left La France Insoumise party, which has condemned the killing.
According to Le Monde, it was the first killing allegedly carried out by hard-left individuals since 2022.
Reuters has reported at least five killings allegedly linked to far-right individuals during the same period, including one being investigated as terrorism.
The march was organised by anti-abortion activist Aliette Espieux, and several far-right groups said they would take part. The far-right party National Rally urged supporters to avoid the rally over fears of unrest.
Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News
