Police officers of the dog handling team stand outside the French hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI) national headquarters following a "bomb threat," after it was accused of partial responsibility in the killing of a far-right activist, in Paris on February 18, 2026. CHARLOTTE SIEMON / AFP
France's hard-left party, La France Insoumise (LFI), said it had had to evacuate its national headquarters over a "bomb threat" on Wednesday, February 18, after prosecutors confirmed 11 arrests over the fatal beating of a far-right activist last week, blamed on the far-left. Quentin Deranque, 23, died after sustaining a severe brain injury when he was attacked by at least six people last week. The attack happened on the sidelines of a far-right protest against a hard-left politician speaking at a university in the southeastern city of Lyon.
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Eleven arrested in probe over far-right activist's death, with far-left group under scrutiny
The incident has fuelled tension between France's far right and hard left ahead of municipal elections in March and the 2027 presidential race, in which the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) is seen as having its best chance yet at the top job. "The national headquarters of LFI have just been evacuated following a bomb threat," LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard said on X on Wednesday. "Police services are on site. All employees and activists are safe," he added.
