Political situation in France

Seven charged with murder of French right-wing extremist

Seven people are being charged with murder after the fatal beating of a French right-wing extremist in Lyon this weekend, French media report. One of them is Jacques-Élie Favrot, assistant to MP Raphaël Arnault for the left-wing party Indomitable France (LFI).

Three of the accused “state that they have been part of or close to the extreme left,” prosecutor Thierry Dran said according to BFM. Two have previous convictions, one for weapons possession and one for violent crimes. All are being held in custody.

All the suspects deny intent to kill the 23-year-old.

Macron worried: “Escalation of violence must be avoided”

French President Emmanuel Macron is concerned and is following the situation very closely. This is what the Élysée Palace said in its first statement since right-wing nationalist Quentin Deranque was beaten to death during a far-right demonstration in Lyon, BFMTV reports.

“Everyone must remain calm and respectful. We must avoid any escalation of violence,” his staff said in a statement.

What makes the case particularly politically sensitive is that one of those arrested is an assistant to MP Raphaël Arnault for the far-left party Indomitable France (LFI).

A total of eleven people have been arrested. The incident is being investigated as murder.

The murder of Quentin Deranque— that’s the point

• Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old far-right activist, was killed in Lyon on February 12 after being attacked by masked assailants at a demonstration.
• Eleven people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the fatal assault, including a political assistant to the left-wing party Indomitable France (LFI).
• Several of those arrested have links to the now-disbanded left-wing extremist group Young Guard, which was founded by LFI MP Raphaël Arnault.
• The incident has triggered a political crisis in France, with the government and several politicians accusing the LFI of contributing to political violence.
• The LFI's headquarters in Paris were evacuated after a bomb threat and several of the party's premises were vandalized after the attack.