On Sunday, several French cities witnessed gatherings following the killing of a young man from the extreme right who died of his wounds after being exposed to a violent attack on the sidelines of a conference organized by the leftist European MP Rima Hassan in Lyon. French President Emmanuel Macron called for calm and restraint following the escalation of tensions between the extreme right and the extreme left, who are looking forward to the 2027 presidential elections, while French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin accused the “radical left” of being responsible for the killing of the young man. .

Published on: 02/15/2026 - 10:52 Last updated: 02/16/2026 - 11:24

To view this content from YouTube, it is necessary to allow the collection of viewing rates and YouTube ads.

It appears that an application in your Internet browser is preventing the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must cancel its use.

Reactions are still continuing in France following the killing of a young man from the extreme right after he was subjected to a violent attack on the sidelines of a conference organized by the radical leftist European MP Rima Hassan in the city of Lyon in the southeast of the country.

On Sunday, several French cities, including the capital, Paris, witnessed gatherings and demonstrations denouncing the killing of the 23-year-old.

The young man was transferred to a hospital in Lyon on Thursday after, according to his circles, he was attacked while participating in securing a protest against a conference of Representative Rima Hassan at the Lyon branch of the Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po).

The Public Prosecution Office in Lyon reported to the French news agency on Saturday that he died of his wounds, explaining that an investigation had been opened into suspicion of manslaughter.

Macron calls for calm and restraint

The death of the young man, identified only as Kontin, exacerbated tensions between the far right and the far left in France, which are eyeing the 2027 presidential elections.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Saturday for calm and restraint after the young man's death, as he said on the X platform that Kontin was the victim of "an unprecedented explosion of violence," adding, "There is no place for murderous hatred in our country. I call for calm, restraint, and respect."

Read also: France: Macron calls for calm after the death of a young man from the far right who was violently assaulted

According to the "Nemesis" coalition, which is close to the far right, Kontan was part of the security team responsible for ensuring the safety of its activists.

Coalition supporters demonstrated against the conference held by Rima Hassan, who is known for her strong criticism of Israel.

The family's lawyer said in a statement that Kontan and his companions appeared to have been ambushed by "organized and trained individuals, many of them outnumbered and armed, some of whom were masked."

The Public Prosecution has not yet provided details about the circumstances of the incident.

For its part, the "Nemesis" coalition accused members of a local anti-fascist association banned by the authorities in June of being behind the attack.

The French Minister of Justice accuses the radical left

On Sunday, French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin accused the "radical left" of being responsible for the young man's killing.

"It is clear that the radical left killed him," Darmanin said on Sunday.

He added, "There are already speeches, especially from the Proud France party (to which Hassan belongs) and the extreme left, that unfortunately lead to relentless violence on social networks and then in the real world."

“Words can kill,” he warned.

France 24/AFP

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.