Fabio Rampelli, a member of Fratelli d'Italia, the far-right party led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, at the Chamber of Deputies in Rome, on December 28, 2025. ROBERTO MONALDO/LAPRESSE/SHUTTERSTOCK/SIPA
Emmanuel Macron's response was quick to spark debate in Italy. When questioned about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's reaction to the death of far-right activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon, the French president, who was concluding an official visit in India at the time, on Thursday, February 19, told Meloni to stop "commenting on what is happening in other people's countries." On Wednesday, the Italian prime minister had expressed outrage over Deranque's death in Lyon on her X account, calling it "a wound for all of Europe." In response to this, Macron retorted sharply: "I'm always struck by the fact that people who are nationalists – who don't want anyone bothering them at home – are always the first to comment on what's happening elsewhere."
Macron's remarks were received "with astonishment" by sources at the Italian prime minister's office, which, on Thursday, clarified that Meloni had merely expressed "her solidarity with the French people affected by this terrible event," denying any attempt to interfere in the French political debate. Nevertheless, Deranque's death has received an unprecedented echo in Italy, at a time when the government has been toughening its stance against far-left groups for several months now, for example, by shutting down social centers such as Askatasuna in Turin.
