Over Three Thousand People March in Lyon After Fatal Beating of Nationalist Quentin Deranque

On Saturday afternoon, over 3,200 people marched through the streets of Lyon, participating in a march commemorating 23-year-old Quentin Deranque. The young nationalist died in hospital last week after being brutally beaten on February 12 by members of far-left anti-fascist militias. According to findings by some media and the prosecutor's office, the incident occurred on the sidelines of protests against a politician from the left-wing party La France Insoumise, and the victim allegedly intervened to protect a group of women from masked assailants. French law enforcement has so far detained seven individuals in this case. Six of them are in pre-trial detention on charges of premeditated murder and grievous bodily harm. The fact that three of the detainees are close associates of La France Insoumise MPs has triggered a crisis of trust in left-wing political forces. 500 — police officers secured the streets of Lyon The demonstration itself, organized at Place Jean-Jaurès, took place under extremely restrictive security measures. Riot police units and surveillance drones monitoring the situation from the air were deployed to protect the event. The crowd, largely dressed in black with faces covered, raised banners proclaiming that "the far left kills." Although no direct physical confrontations occurred, the march caused massive outrage. The Prefect of the Rhône department, Fabienne Buccio, reported that three notifications of possible criminal offenses had been forwarded to the judiciary. Recordings were confirmed showing some participants performing Nazi gestures and deliberately shouting racist slogans. After the demonstration ended, one man was detained for carrying a bladed weapon. Timeline of Conflict Escalation: February 12 — Clashes in Lyon; February 14 — Activist's Death; February 21 — Mass Protest The show of force by the far-right drastically narrows the room for compromise in France on the eve of the first round of local elections scheduled for mid-March. The only high-level politician who supported the march with his presence was Étienne Blanc, a senator from the traditional right (The Republicans), which caused surprise in Parisian political circles. The President announced an uncompromising fight against militias from both sides of the barricade. „J'appelle tout le monde à rester calme” (I call on everyone to remain calm) — Emmanuel Macron With a population of half a million, Lyon has long been considered one of the main arenas for political minority confrontation in France. It is an informal stronghold of the French identitarian movement, where brutal street clashes regularly occur between radical anti-fascist formations and organized nationalist militias.

Focus on the Nazi gestures of march participants, warning of the overt fascistization of public debate. | Emphasize the tragedy of the murdered young man and the guilt of anti-fascist militias, accusing the left of inciting the crime.