Nine suspects have been arrested following the violent death of a right-wing activist on the sidelines of a French Left Party election rally in Lyon.
02/18/2026, 07:0802/18/2026, 07:08
Among those arrested is a parliamentary assistant to a deputy from the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), prosecutor Thierry Dran said, according to media reports.
A man holds a French flag with a memorial banner for the man killed.Image: keystone
The 23-year-old activist was standing by to protect a counter-rally by several women from the right-wing scene on Thursday last week when he and two companions were attacked by around 20 masked men. Six men beat him with brute force. The student finally died on Saturday from severe head injuries.
Since then, there has been massive political tension in France – a month before the start of local elections. Conservative and right-wing politicians in Paris suspect that a group of radical left-wing thugs killed the activist on the sidelines of the right-wing rally against the appearance of LFI MEP Rima Hassan and attribute joint responsibility to the Left Party.
Left-wing politician Mélenchon does not want to accept any instructions
The public prosecutor’s office said that after questioning witnesses and analyzing videos, it was possible to identify some suspects. Dran did not provide any further information about those arrested.
Jean-Luc Melenchon.Image: keystone
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who heads the ruling center-right alliance and is a particularly close confidant of President Emmanuel Macron, wrote on Platform And quickly.”
LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon replied to X that his party did not accept any teachings from Lecornu. “He is not aware of what he is saying.” (sda/dpa)