France has summoned the US ambassador to Paris following statements from the Trump administration that linked the killing of a French right-wing activist to a rise in “violent radical leftism,” sparking a diplomatic disagreement.
The case centers on Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old mathematics student and member of the nationalist group Audace Lyon. He died on February 14 from head injuries sustained two days earlier during a clash with left-wing activists in Lyon. Deranque had been acting as informal security for a protest by the right-wing women’s group Nemesis. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the incident as “a deliberate homicide” and “a lynching.” Eleven individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, including two aides to Raphael Arnault, a member of parliament from the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI).
On Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism posted on social media that Deranque’s death “should concern us all,” stating, “Violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety.” The post, shared by the US embassy in France, added that Washington expects the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Separately, US State Department Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers said the killing exemplified “why we treat political violence – terrorism – so harshly.”
In response, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that Paris would summon US Ambassador Charles Kushner. “We reject any instrumentalization of this tragedy, which has plunged a French family into mourning, for political ends,” Barrot stated. “We have no lessons to learn, particularly on the issue of violence, from the international reactionary movement.”
The incident has also ignited a cross-European political dispute. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the killing “a wound for all of Europe” and condemned what she described as a “climate of ideological hatred.” French President Emmanuel Macron responded by suggesting that nationalists who avoid domestic scrutiny are often quick to comment on foreign affairs.
The diplomatic row highlights the sensitive transmission of US political rhetoric into European contexts, where the term “antifa” is less commonly used in official discourse and political violence is typically framed within specific national histories. The French legal process continues as authorities investigate the homicide, which has become a focal point for competing narratives on political violence and security across the Atlantic.
