The political and social scene in France recently witnessed a dangerous wave of violence between the extreme right and the extreme left, as the extreme right-wing activist Kontan Duranc was killed in Lyon by elements of the radical left, which prompted the French government to take urgent legal measures against violent groups, amid warnings of the spread of extremism and its impact on the upcoming local and presidential elections. This coincided with a call for extremist movements to exercise restraint and cleanse their ranks of any racist or violent transgressions.

Published on: 02/24/2026 - 14:49 Last updated: 02/24/2026 - 20:33

France is experiencing tangible tension in the political and social arena following the escalation of confrontations between elements of the extreme right and left-wing groups described as extremist, especially in the city of Lyon (central France), where a march was organized last Saturday in honor of a young man from the right named Quentin Duranc.

This young man was killed during a clash with members of the extreme left, on the sidelines of a gathering of leftist MP Rima Hassan from the "Proud France" party at the Institute of Political Science in this city on February 14 of this year.

During this march, many participants adopted slogans described as racist, Nazi, and xenophobic, led by immigrants from countries in the Maghreb region, while they raised racist chants such as: “Dirty Arabs, go back to your countries...”

To view this content from YouTube, it is necessary to allow the collection of viewing rates and YouTube ads.

It appears that an application in your Internet browser is preventing the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must cancel its use.

Calls to "clean" the parties of extremist elements

These events come as we are only a few days away from the first round of municipal elections scheduled for next March 15, and over a year from the presidential election in 2027, which deepens concern about the stability of the political scene and extremism in the street.

These extreme manifestations have put the French government to the test, as it seeks to find appropriate legal means to combat the racist and violent behavior that has emerged in many French regions for several months.

Therefore, President Emmanuel Macron devoted a meeting to this topic on Tuesday, with the participation of Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and representatives from the General Directorate of Internal Security. The aim of this meeting is to "evaluate the outcome of the measures taken to combat violent groups."

Read also: The far right in France demonstrates in honor of activist Quentin Duranc with Nazi salutes and racist insults

Since the death of Kontin Duranc, Emmanuel Macron has been keen to condemn political violence, whether from radical left or far-right movements, calling on all extremist movements to clean up their ranks and confront abuses within them.

Dissolving 24 extremist organizations since 2017

In this context, Laurent Nunez announced that he had launched measures to dissolve two violent groups: the first belonging to the extreme right in the city of Montpellier (south-eastern France) called the “Montpellier Bloc,” and the second from the extreme left located in the city of Albi in the same region and bearing the name “Homeland of Albi,” in addition to the extreme leftist group active in the city of Lyon, the “Young Guard,” and the “Lyon Popular” group, which belongs to the extreme right.

After the end of the meeting between President Macron, the Minister of the Interior, and security officials, it was decided to refer the case of the “Young Guard” to the judiciary on charges of “restructuring a dissolved organization” against the backdrop of activities related to this movement.

This came after security sources reported that they had monitored structures and organizations emanating from this group, which was dissolved last June, in at least five regions.

Restructuring a solution organization is a crime punishable by law. It stipulates that participating in maintaining an association or group that has been dissolved, whether openly or under cover, exposes its owner to a penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.

For his part, during the meeting, Emmanuel Macron asked the government to "ensure that the election campaign is conducted in a calm and smooth manner," calling for "ensuring that it proceeds calmly and reassuringly."

According to the daily "Le Figaro", the French authorities have dissolved 24 extremist and violent organizations since 2017. For his part, Jordan Bardella, head of the far-right National Rally party, accused President Macron of trying to "hide his moral responsibility in the outbreak of violence on the part of the extreme left," noting at the same time that the party he leads has "no connection, neither close nor distant" with the extreme and violent right.

Kontan's family rejects the "political exploitation" of his murder

Bardella said in a statement to local media during his visit to the town of Provan, which is about 90 kilometers south of Paris: “If I become prime minister tomorrow, we will announce the dissolution of the extreme left-wing militias, as well as the extreme right.”

In addition, the family of the young man, Kontan Duranc, “strongly condemned the political exploitation” of this incident and the “racist and discriminatory violations” that accompanied the march organized last Saturday in honor of their son.

Fabian Ragon, the lawyer for the family of the deceased young man, said: “In principle, the family had no objection to the idea of ​​honoring Kontan following the crime to which he was exposed, provided that the honor is respectful and devoid of any political nature.” He concluded by saying: “The family would like to thank the participants who attended with sincere and generous intentions.”

France 24/AFP

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.