"French police have launched a murder inquiry after a far-right activist died in hospital having been beaten up in an attack that has fuelled political tensions in France. Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old mathematics student, died from a severe brain injury at the weekend. The Lyon prosecutor, Thierry Dran, said he was assaulted by at least six masked individuals. Police were working to identify suspects, and no arrests had been made, Dran said."
"Deranque was attacked on Thursday on the sidelines of a protest against a university conference attended by Rima Hassan, a European member of parliament for Jean-Luc Melenchon's leftwing party, La France Insoumise (LFI). The anti-immigration Nemesis collective, which is close to the far right, was protesting against the conference. Nemesis said at the weekend that Deranque had been present to protect its members as security and was assaulted by anti-fascist activists."
"Deranque's family lawyer said in a statement to French media that the student appeared to have been ambushed by organised and trained individuals, vastly superior in number and armed, some with their faces masked. The lawyer told Le Monde that Deranque was not part of security for any organisation, had no criminal record and defended his political convictions in a non-violent way."
French police launched a murder inquiry after Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old mathematics student and far-right activist, died from a severe brain injury following a beating. Prosecutors said he was assaulted by at least six masked individuals and investigators sought to identify suspects with no arrests made. The attack occurred near a protest against a university conference attended by Rima Hassan of La France Insoumise. The anti-immigration Nemesis collective said Deranque acted as security and was attacked by anti-fascist activists. Family lawyers described an ambush by organised, armed individuals. The death intensified political tensions ahead of elections, with government figures accusing the left of fomenting violence.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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