Jean-Luc Mélenchon in Paris, on May 6, 2025. GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP
Never cede an inch to the opponent; that's his strategy. In a Paris hall owned by the Parti Ouvrier Indépendant, a small Trotskyist party allied with his radical left La France Insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon delivered a speech on Tuesday, February 17, on the death of Quentin Deranque, a young far-right activist fatally assaulted in a clash with antifascist activists in Lyon. Suspected members of the LFI-allied antifascist organization Jeune Garde were among the people arrested on Tuesday evening.
Notably, Mélenchon first called for "everyone to make an effort to remain calm and collected." While around 10 LFI MPs' offices have recently been vandalized, Mélenchon called for "no escalation." He once again stated his opposition to political violence, which he said "withers" political struggles. "In violence, whether it be defensive or offensive, not all blows are permissible," he added, referencing videos of the incident, which showed men being beaten while lying on the ground.
That said, the LFI leader then reiterated that his party "had nothing to do, directly or indirectly," with the tragedy in Lyon. As he often does when under attack, Mélenchon played the victim, calling out the "responsibility of the public authorities," whom he accused of failing in their duty to protect public order. Earlier, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had called this argument "vile" and "abject," in response to MP Mathilde Panot, who gave the same defense in Parliament.
