French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Sunday said US ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, would be summoned over his comments on the death of a French far-right activist earlier this month.
Twenty-three year old Quentin Deranque died two days after he suffered severe head injuries in a brawl in Lyon on February 12. US President Donald Trump criticised the attack while calling the death as the result of left-wing violence.
On Friday, the US embassy in France shared a post on X of the US State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau which said reports that Deranque “was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all".
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“Violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety," it said.
In response, Barrot said in an interview with radio station France Inter: “We are summoning the US ambassador to France because the embassy issued a commentary on this event which concerns the national community. We reject any interference in this event."
According to CNN, the brawl was caught on video, which showed several masked people kicking and punching a man on the ground, causing widespread shock and anger in France. Till now, two people have been charged with murder and a total of 11 people have been arrested.
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The incident sparked a diplomatic row between France and Italy, after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Deranque’s death was caused “by groups linked to left-wing extremism" and condemned “a climate of ideological hatred sweeping several nations".
Thousands of people marched in Lyon on Saturday after the killing of the far-right activist. Many in the crowd wore surgical masks and sunglasses to hide their faces. They chanted “we are at home" and “antifa assassin".
Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News