‘Ultra-Left’ Blamed for Youth’s Killing That Shocked France
15th February 2026
The “ultra-left” in France was behind the fatal beating of a French youth aligned with the far right, the justice minister said on Sunday, after the killing inflamed political tension in the country ahead of elections.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin also accused hard-left politicians, including from the France Unbowed (LFI) party, the largest left-wing faction in parliament, of fuelling violence with their language.
The victim, Quentin Deranque, aged 23, had been hospitalised and placed into a coma on Thursday after being attacked in the southeastern city of Lyon. The office of the Lyon prosecutor on Saturday told AFP Deranque had died of his wounds.