France’s far right seeks to deepen mainstream credibility after activist’s killing

PARIS - France’s National Rally (RN) urged supporters to avoid rallies on Feb 21 for fear of unrest, as analysts say it seeks to

capitalise on the killing of a far-right activist by suspected hard-left militants

to push its mainstream credentials.

The nationwide rallies are in memory of Mr Quentin Deranque, 23, who was beaten to death on Feb 12 in a fight that was caught on camera and has shocked the nation. Police fret the marches could turn violent, with clashes between opposing extremist political groups.

Former centre-right prime minister Dominique de Villepin called Mr Deranque’s killing “France’s Charlie Kirk moment”, referring to

the 2025 shooting of the US conservative activist

.

“This is a moment aimed at delegitimising a segment of the political spectrum and portraying the triumphant far right as a victim,” he said.

Long vilified by the French mainstream, the RN has cast the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party as the real danger to France. An aide to an LFI lawmaker is one of seven under formal investigation for their alleged role in Mr Deranque’s murder.

The LFI has condemned the killing. Its coordinator, Mr Manuel Bompard, said “the LFI bears no political responsibility in this drama”.

Pushing into the political mainstream

The RN has worked for years to shed its reputation as being racist and anti-Semitic, and to present itself as a bulwark of institutional credibility. Its efforts appear to be paying off, with a November poll showing that its 30-year-old leader, Mr Jordan Bardella, could win the next presidential election in 2027.

Mr Bardella’s message to RN leaders on Feb 20, seen by Reuters, urged them to avoid the nationwide rallies, where potential confrontations could reinforce the negative image it is trying to shed.

“The far left’s desire for confrontation with these gatherings appears undiminished. Some organisers, undeniably linked to the ultra-right and whom we refuse to associate with... are also seeking confrontation,” he wrote.

“We have paid a dignified tribute to Quentin and are fully assuming the political role that the French people – shocked and outraged by this tragedy – expect from us.”

There has yet to be a poll published showing an electoral lift for the RN – the largest single party in Parliament – since the killing, but Mr Luc Rouban, an expert on political violence, said the incident will surely “benefit the RN a lot”.

He said the killing allows the RN to say: “We respect institutions. There are people who are afraid of us coming to power; they kill our supporters.”

Mr Jean-Daniel Levy from pollster Harris Interactive said voters were increasingly susceptible to the RN’s argument.

“When you ask voters whether they feel the RN is republican, the answer is generally yes,” he told Reuters. “Undeniably, there is a process of normalisation of the RN taking place.”

‘The far left killed’

In a TV interview on Feb 18, Mr Bardella said “the far left killed”, and called the LFI a “breeding ground for violent movements”.

The US State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism said it was monitoring the case, warning in a post on social media platform X that “violent radical leftism was on the rise” and should be treated as a public safety threat. “We... expect to see the perpetrators of violence brought to justice,” it added.

There is no official French data on extremist political violence, but French security services say the far right poses the second-biggest terrorism threat after jihadism.

Reuters has reported at least five killings allegedly carried out by far-right individuals since 2022, including one investigated as terrorism. Mr Deranque’s death was the first allegedly carried out by hard-left individuals over that same period, newspaper Le Monde has reported.

Despite his barbs against the far left, Mr Bardella has shown an awareness that the far right’s record on political violence is not impeccable. On Feb 18, he said violent extremist groups on both sides of the spectrum should be banned.

He called on mainstream parties to form a “sanitary cordon” against the LFI. Such electoral constructs, in which opposing parties join forces to block more extremist groups from power in a two-round vote, have long been used against the RN. REUTERS