France arrests nine over killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque

France arrests nine over killing of far-right activist Quentin DeranqueThe 23-year-old was beaten to death by far-left activists in France’s Lyon last week.Published On 18 Feb 2026Police in France have arrested nine suspects, including an aide to a far-left lawmaker, over the killing of a far-right activist in the southeastern city of Lyon, according to a prosecutor.The arrests come as France mourns Quentin Deranque, 23, who was beaten to death last week by far-left activists outside a Lyon venue where Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan was speaking.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4EU opens probe into online global retailer Shein after sex-doll scandallist 2 of 4Train derails in Switzerland, injuring five amid avalanches in the Alpslist 3 of 4Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,454list 4 of 4Robert Duvall, Oscar-winning actor and star of The Godfather, dies aged 95end of listThe incident has jolted France’s political class and fuelled tensions between the far-right and far-left ahead of municipal elections in March and the presidential race in 2027.Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran announced the arrests of four suspects, followed shortly after by five more, bringing the total to nine.The AFP news agency, citing a source following the case, said six of the detainees are suspected of participating in the beating, while three are suspected of aiding them. Seven were men, and two were women, the source told the agency.An assistant to Raphael Arnault, a lawmaker of the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, was among the first four detained. Arnault said the aide had “stopped all parliamentary work”.“It is now up to the investigation to determine responsibility”, he added on X.The head of the LFI, Jean-Luc Melenchon, said those who had attacked Deranque had “dishonoured” themselves by acting with apparent lethal intent.“When it comes to violence, whether it be defensive or offensive… not all blows are allowed,” he said.The beating of Deranque took place on Thursday, on the sidelines of a far-right protest against Hassan’s appearance in Lyon. An anti-immigration collective called Nemesis said Deranque had been at the protest in Lyon to protect its members.