Thousands March in Lyon. Activist's Death Divides Left-Wing Alliance Just Before Elections

On Saturday, February 21, a march of around 3,200 participants commemorating Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old identity movement activist, passed through the streets of Lyon. The man died in hospital from serious injuries sustained during a violent clash with far-left militants that occurred on February 12. Nearly 500 police officers ensured security during the demonstration.3200 — participants in the Lyon marchAlthough the procession completed its planned route without physical riots, the prefect of the Rhône department, Fabienne Buccio, filed three official reports with the prosecutor's office. They concerned racist chants and Nazi salutes performed by masked demonstrators. After the gathering was dispersed, one person was detained and found to be carrying a knife. As part of the ongoing investigation, charges have already been brought against seven suspects, some of whom investigators have linked to the far-left organization Young Guard and the parliamentary backing of the France Unbowed party (LFI). Chronology of the Lyon tragedy: February 12 — Attack in Lyon; February 14 — Activist's Death; February 21 — Memorial March The young man's death has deeply shaken the French political scene and triggered a major crisis within the united left camp. Yannick Jadot, a prominent politician from the ecological party, demanded immediate explanations and a clear disavowal of radical militias from LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, directly threatening to break the existing electoral alliance at local levels. Meanwhile, Mélenchon himself, in an interview with the newspaper "La Tribune Dimanche," dismissed the accusations, calling Deranque's tragic death merely a "street brawl." „Les gens ne peuvent pas croire que ce sont nous, les Insoumis, qui avons tué un jeune dans la rue” (People cannot believe that it was us, the Unbowed, who killed a young man in the street) — Jean-Luc Mélenchon Due to rising social tensions, President Emmanuel Macron appealed to citizens for calm, announcing a special government meeting to stabilize the situation ahead of the upcoming local elections.[{"dataISO": "2026-03-15", "data": "March 15, 2026", "wydarzenie": "First round of French local elections"}] France's third-largest city, Lyon, has remained deeply polarized for decades. It is one of the main strongholds for both poles of extremism, leading to regular, brutal, organized street fights between feuding left-wing and right-wing factions.The echoes of this event have crossed national borders. Gatherings combined with a march were also organized in Rome, Italy, where right-wing groups protested against political violence. This case has revealed the depth of the crisis in the state system in the face of growing, unpunished aggression in public space.