French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed for calm ahead of nationwide demonstrations planned in honour of a far-right activist killed last week.
The marches are being organised for Quentin Deranque, 23, who was beaten to death in a fight that was filmed and stunned the country, reports RTE.
Police fear the rallies could descend into violence, with potential clashes between rival extremist political factions.
Mr Macron said his government would convene a meeting to address “violent action groups” following the killing, which has heightened tensions between left and right ahead of the 2027 presidential election, reports RTE.
Mr Deranque died from head injuries after being attacked by at least six individuals on the fringes of a protest against a politician from the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party in the southeastern city of Lyon last week.
Speaking at an agricultural trade fair in Paris, Mr Macron urged “everyone to remain” calm ahead of the march for Mr Deranque in Lyon, which will proceed under heavy security despite the city’s left-wing Green mayor requesting that the state prohibit it, reports RTE.
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The rally is expected to draw between 2,000 and 3,000 participants and is likely to face counter-demonstrations from hard-left activists.
“In the Republic, no violence is legitimate,” said Mr Macron, who cannot stand in next year’s election after reaching the two-term limit, “There is no place for militias, no matter where they come from,”, reports RTE.
After calling on both the far right and hard left to rein in their supporters, the president said his administration would hold a meeting next week to “take stock of violent action groups which are active and have links with political parties of any description”.
Mr Deranque’s death has also drawn a response from US President Donald Trump’s administration, with state department official Sarah Rogers yesterday describing the killing as “terrorism” and asserting that “violent radical leftism is on the rise”, reports RTE.
Similarly, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday described Mr Deranque’s death as “a wound for all Europe”, leading Mr Macron to tell the far-right leader to refrain from intervening in French affairs.
Six men suspected of involvement in the deadly assault have been charged in connection with the killing, while a parliamentary assistant to a radical left-wing MP has also been charged with complicity, reports RTE.
A far-right collective known as Nemesis, which says it seeks to “defend Western women” from violence it alleges is committed by immigrants, stated that Mr Deranque had attended the Lyon protest to protect its members when he was attacked by “anti-fascist” activists.
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