France, political storm after the death of Quentin Deranque: seven people arrested

Inevitable then is the political controversy between the extreme left and the extreme right. The Rassemblement national denies that it was an accident, while Marion Maréchal, Marine Le Pen's 'dissident' niece, asked whether the presence of the Jeune Garde at the meeting was intentional, perhaps as a security service, and whether it had had precise deliveries. France Insoumise, through Mathilde Panot, denied that there was any involvement of the now disbanded Jeune Garde and that those responsible should be 'punished and condemned'.

In recent days, Mélenchon, who often uses over-the-top language, had also spoken out clearly. "We express our dismay, but also our empathy and compassion for the family, for the loved ones," Jean-Luc Mélenchon said on Sunday in Montpellier, recalling that he had "said dozens of times that the 'insoumis' are hostile and opposed to violence". Horror at the incident had already been expressed on Friday by Rima Hassan.

The spokeswoman for the government led by Sébastien Lecornu, Maud Bregeon, accused La France Inoumise of having the 'moral responsibility' of having 'encouraged' for years 'a climate of violence'.

The debate in the Assemblée on Tuesday 17 February was particularly lively. All parties took part in the minute's silence in honour of the victim, but then came the accusations against La France Insoumise, which has often been characterised by the aggressive tone of its propaganda. Prime Minister Lecornu objected to the rhetoric of 'confrontation': "One cannot continually have," he said, "a rhetoric of confrontation and not see that what sometimes happens in this courtroom can spread throughout society". Justice Minister Darmanin criticised the 'brutalisation' of political life, making direct reference to Lfi. "The first of the evidences in a democracy is the rejection of physical violence. It is up to each of us to be a guarantor of the dignity of public debate and to call for calm in the interest of our nation. Let us collectively assume this responsibility in the months to come,' Assemblée President Yaël Braun-Pivet had said shortly before. Harsher was the President of the Républicains, Laurent Wauquiez: the assault, he said, 'is the result of the trivialisation of political violence'. The extreme left, he added, 'has blood on its hands', and it was Jean-Luc Mélenchon who wanted 'this violence as a political tool'. "It is the extreme left that kills," he concluded, "that threatens the Republic".
The Socialists also distanced themselves from Lfi: that party, said its first secretary Olivier Faure, "cannot hold the slightest ambiguity with any violent movement", denouncing "a climate of permanent political violence fuelled by a part of the right, the extreme right and the radical left".
La France Insoumise dismissed the accusations: while Mélenchon spoke of 'dishonour' for those who killed Quentin Deranque, Panot spoke of an 'imaginary criminal responsibility' of his group that 'will not succeed in dissolving the real political responsibility' of the government. Arnault finally announced the termination of his contract with the investigated assistant Favrot, but in the following days he was called upon by several political forces to resign from the Assemblée. The Lfi parliamentary group, however, ruled out suspensions and expulsions.
Clémence Guetté, Lfi deputy and second vice-president of the National Assembly, denounced that "for several days we, the militants and elected members of France insoumise, have been the object of unprecedented attacks", in a message on X. "A new level has been crossed," he added, with "parliamentary offices and campaign premises vandalised throughout France". "We are receiving all and sundry, deputies and militants," he went on to write, "direct threats, sometimes threats of rape and death. These threats affect our offices, our loved ones, our families, ourselves'. Quentin Deranque's family called on everyone, through a lawyer, 'for calm and restraint': 'The family condemns any incitement to violence and all forms of political violence' and will not take part in political demonstrations in memory of their son.