The violent death of new-right activist Quentin DeRanc has suddenly turned the political left into a toxic hot potato.
On February 12 in the French city of Lyon, a young man was killed in a political street brawl that had escalated badly. Although terrifying whenever it happens, his death is, unfortunately, not unprecedented. Usually, this causes grief among the victim’s family and friends and leads to a criminal investigation to punish the killers, but not a national crisis.
In this case, however, everything is different: France since Quentin Deranc, a 23-year-old data science student, a staunch conservative Roman Catholic and a new-right (commonly speaking) activist (or extremist – take your pick) was beaten to death by a gang of self-appointed ‘opponents’. “drama” A “National Community” (In the words of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barot).
The entirely mainstream media and their chosen experts have repeatedly invoked the specter “Civil War.” One warns against entering a spiral of tit-for-tat retaliation, which is, he believes, how such fratricide begins. A podcast from Le Figaro, France’s leading conservative newspaper, devoted an entire show to the question of France “Moving Towards Civil War.” In reality, an actual civil war isn’t around the corner, of course, and things get worse. But the excited and anxious references to it show how deplorable the mood is now.
Every detail of what exactly happened before the fatal attack on Quentin DeRanck is still unclear. Some of Derank’s friends and supporters included his male activist group – Nemesis, a small protest of a nationalist-identitarian women’s organization present to defend – was initially passive and remained defensive throughout. According to Al Jazeera, there appears to be video evidence that contradicts this account, with new-right activists also showing the attack shortly before Derank was brutalized with a mask and hood. “Anti-Fascists” From the officially disbanded but de facto surviving ‘Young Guard’ group.
The disagreement was that, in the end, three New-Right activists – Derank among them – were separated from the others and cornered by them. “Anti-Fascist” Opponents. It is equally certain that Derank was then beaten and viciously kicked, including when he was already lying on the ground and completely defenseless, barely moving. He was admitted to the hospital the same day and died two days later.
A high-level criminal investigation involves a lead public prosecutor, three dedicated investigating judges, local police and the Home Office’s National Counter-Terrorism Office. Now, French authorities have announced that all the main suspects have been arrested. Fees are included “Criminal Association” “extreme violence” “Voluntary Homicide” And “Complicity in Voluntary Homicide.”
One of the accused, Jacques-Elie Favreau – called “Jeff” – Suspected of playing a key role in the crime and facing charges “Complicity in murder by provocation.” His case is unique in another, crucial respect: when he is not busy on the streets, “Jeff” Acts as Official Assistant to the Deputy of the National Assembly of the Parliament of France. And that deputy, Raphael Arnault, is a leading representative of France’s New-Left Party La France Insoumise (France Unbod), LFI. In addition, Robin Chalendard, another suspect believed to have directly participated in the fatal attack on Derank, also worked for Arnault.
These associations lead to the center of the ballooning mushroom cloud of toxic political fallout that has enveloped French politics. Essentially reduced, the grim picture is this: France is a country in typical Euro-decline, an electorally dilapidated yet obstinate cartel of self-proclaimed establishment parties. “center” It still dominates, for now, the state, the mainstream media and many official institutions of the public sphere, such as universities and think tanks. And then challengers from the New Right – Rallye Nationale, RN – and the New Left – LFI are on the rise. For now, at least, they are bitter enemies, eager to seize power once the decaying center finally implodes, or at least force its remnants into an accord.
Add to that the fact that key municipal elections are scheduled for this month and everyone is already jockeying for polls in the presidential elections – et voilà: a perfect storm.
Shit storms are very involved: because of what’s happening to the new-left LFI now, not so much because of a compromised link between one of its star deputies and two suspects in an extremely repulsive homicide and murder case, but because of the LFI leadership’s incredibly cack-handed and callous response, including the assassination of Derank and the political challenges.
Instead of genuine shock, an honest willingness to reflect on Arnault’s worst company, and beyond that, on the relationship between violent rhetoric and lethal violence, party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon sets the tone of a crude forward defense: he emotionally reaffirms the LFI’s rather insane belief. In general, he and his surrogates have presented the ‘Young Guard’ and the LFI as victims of unfair demonisation.
And, of course, in some ways, that’s what LFI really is: inevitably, the New-Right Rassemblement National recognized and eagerly seized the opportunity to undermine it. “Popular” Competitors with crime-society aggression. RN WunderkindLeader, and potential presidential candidate, Jordan Bardella has let it rip: invoking and talking about the bad old days of the violent 1930s. “Terrorist Organizations” He warned that France had reached “The Most Terrible Tipping Point” And demanded that all other parties be subjected to LFI – “The extreme left (has) killed” – For a regime of total boycott and exclusion.
And yes, that ‘cordon sanitaire’ is exactly what the Germans call a ‘brandmauer’ (firewall) and apply it against their New-right rebels, Alternative for Germany (AfD). This is what the French establishment parties have long practiced against the RN.
The new-right RN – long vilified as mad radicals and working hard to bury precisely that image – is riding a veritable wave of public anger: according to a poll, 61 percent of French voters are ready to help “Firewall” LFI in the upcoming municipal elections. We have to hand it to you, Jordan, very slick – way to turn the tables, with a little help from the clumsy folks at LFI, of course.
At the same time, the moment is already generally auspicious for RN, but not so much for LFI. Consider two other recent poll results: Even before the assassination of Quentin Deranc, 70 percent of French citizens agreed when the Ministry of the Interior officially classified the LFI as extremist. “Far Left.”
Regarding better prospects for competition from the RN, according to another poll, almost a quarter (24 percent) of French citizens prefer a political system “More centralized and more authoritarian” RN, in fact, what hope. This is a substantial number by any standards; This is high compared with other European countries such as Italy (16 percent), Poland (13 percent), Spain (10 percent), and Germany (7 percent).
So, yes, there is brass-fingered politics in the widespread, brutal attacks on the LFI and attempts to hold the entire party responsible for a killing by a street gang. Defenders of the LFI may point to the fact that its ‘Young Guard’ friends-from-hell, now a millstone around its neck, are in reality a very small group. According to French expert Christophe Boursiller, the ‘Young Guard’ has 100 to 200 members, active only in three cities: Paris, Strasbourg and Lyons. Finally, according to another expert, 90 percent of ideologically motivated killings in France are committed by the extreme right, not the left.
And yet, LFI has no reason to expect mercy. This is is Being treated unfairly. Frankly, duh – that’s just Politics 101 for adults. Yet the real question that LFI and its supporters and sympathizers – and I, at least one – must face is no matter what others are doing to it. Instead – and completely independently of the rhetoric deployed by its critics and detractors – the LFI should focus on itself and its own serious faults.
And not just mistakes, but elementary moral failings. Quarrels happen, but it’s fascist – not “Anti-Fascist” – Beating and kicking a political opponent who is already on the ground to death. Indeed, one of the West’s most de facto fascist and demented politicians has reminded us how dear such tactics are to fascist hearts: US Secretary of Defense (or War, as he prefers) Pete Hegseth has told the world how proud he is to hit them – here, Iran – while they’re away fighting. from below, but that’s another matter).
Those who praise and do such swinish things, justify them or by pointing out and equivocating others. their Crimes and hypocrisy should not be tolerated in the Left. Leftists who want to gain primary decency and public support must purge themselves — yes, purge. If the LFI and its boss Mélenchon are unwilling to do so and instead prefer to circle the wagons with Hegsethian thugs posing as ‘anti-fascists’, the LFI has only itself to blame for decline and defeat. And they deserve it too.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
