French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for calm and restraint following the death of a 23-year-old activist who was fatally beaten in Lyon, an incident that has intensified political tensions between the country’s far right and hard left.
The young man, identified only as Quentin, died after falling into a coma from injuries sustained during a violent attack on Thursday outside a conference by hard-left Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan at the Lyon branch of Sciences Po university.
He had been present to help provide security for members of the anti-immigration feminist association Nemesis, which was protesting the event.
Prosecutors said an investigation has been opened into suspected aggravated manslaughter, though no suspects have been identified.
Macron described the assault as “an unprecedented outburst of violence.”
“It is essential that the perpetrators of this ignominy be prosecuted, brought to justice and convicted. Hatred that kills has no place among us. I call for calm, restraint and respect,” he wrote on X.
The president’s appeal came amid a wave of recriminations across the political spectrum as parties positioning themselves for the 2027 presidential election responded to the killing.
Marine Le Pen, a leading figure in the far-right National Rally, said those responsible should face justice with the utmost severity.
Bruno Retailleau, head of the conservative Republicans party and a declared candidate for 2027, blamed the far left.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), said some of his party’s local offices had been attacked following statements by right-wing figures.
Nemesis said Quentin had been part of a security team protecting its activists and alleged that members of a local anti-fascist association were responsible.
The family’s lawyer said in a statement that Quentin appeared to have been ambushed by “organised and trained individuals, vastly superior in number and armed, some with their faces masked”.
Prosecutors have not provided further details about the circumstances of the attack.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez urged authorities to increase vigilance around political gatherings and campaign offices as tensions continued to rise.