The death of a young French far-right activist, Quentin Deranque, after being beaten in a clash with far-left activists has given a boost to European far-right groups, forcing them to form networks across borders, Reuters reports.
In the days after Deranque’s murder on the 14th of February, far-right groups arrived in France to march in Lyon and held memorial events in more than 20 European cities, including Rome, Dresden and Zagreb. Austrian far-right star Martin Sellner, who held a memorial in Vienna, said Deranque’s death should spark a Europe-wide movement.
A week after Derange’s death, about 3,000 people marched in Lyon, raising their hands in the Nazi salute and shouting racist and homophobic slogans. Among the participants was the German “Identitarian” movement, which the domestic intelligence service has defined as an extremist organization. It is also linked to the German far-right party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD). Italian groups with roots in neo-fascist ideology were also present.
The French government confirmed that Italian, Swiss and German far-right groups had arrived in the country, but did not name them. Few European countries can provide data on the number of far-right groups. Germany closely monitors such groups because of its Nazi past, and in 2024 there were about 50,520 right-wing extremists in the country – a 50% increase from 2020.
In 2023, a French parliamentary report said that international cooperation between far-right groups was largely limited to ideological exchange and lacked operational links. However, as the report’s author, Eric Poulliat, points out, the situation has now changed.
Changes are also visible outside France.
Lorenz Blumenthaler, an analyst at the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, said that the far-right is actually quite successful in building international links these days. He added that the Deranges murder has allowed groups to mobilize on social media.
Governments have also warned of the risk posed by far-right forces, as the movement is no longer on the political fringes but is entering everyday life. Political approaches such as remigration (the deportation of members of other ethnic groups and their descendants to their country of origin) have entered the rhetoric of parties in both Europe and the United States.
A source close to the Lyon mayor’s office said city authorities were alarmed by the arrival of the activists and had deployed police at entry points into the city.
A security source said French intelligence services were monitoring the mobilization of the far-right and expressed concern that revenge attacks could occur. Asked about possible foreign influence in France’s presidential election next year, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned of efforts by the far-right to weaken democracy in the wake of the murder.
Several European countries have banned far-right figures from entering. Switzerland and Germany have denied entry to Austrian Sellner, and Britain has denied a visa to a Dutch influencer. Sellner said such incidents only draw more attention to what he has to say.
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