France will summon U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner to protest comments made by the U.S. State Department regarding the death of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Sunday.
The State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all.” The bureau further stated that “violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety,” and that it would continue to monitor the situation.
Barrot reacted sharply to the U.S. Statement, telling French media outlets Le Monde, France Inter, and France Info, “We reject any use of this tragedy, which has plunged a French family into mourning, for political ends. We have no lessons to learn, particularly on the issue of violence, from the international reactionary movement.”
Deranque, 23, died of brain injuries last week following a brawl in Lyon on the fringes of a demonstration against Rima Hassan, a far-left lawmaker from the France Unbowed party. Seven individuals have been preliminarily charged in connection with his death, with six facing charges of intentional homicide, aggravated violence, and criminal conspiracy. A seventh individual has been charged with complicity in the same offenses.
The incident has heightened political tensions in France ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Approximately 3,000 people participated in a march in Lyon on Saturday to honor Deranque, prompting a significant security presence to prevent further clashes. President Emmanuel Macron called for calm during the demonstration.
The U.S. State Department’s Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, Sarah Rogers, echoed concerns about political violence in a separate post on X, stating, “Once you decide to kill people for their opinions instead of persuade them, you’ve opted out of civilisation.”
Beyond the Deranque case, Barrot indicated that he intends to discuss other issues with Ambassador Kushner, including U.S. Sanctions imposed on Thierry Breton, a former EU commissioner responsible for regulating social media, and Nicolas Guillou, a French judge at the International Criminal Court. Barrot characterized these sanctions as “unjustified and unjustifiable,” and described them as attacks on European Union autonomy and the independence of the international justice system.
This is not the first time Kushner has been summoned by the French government. In August of last year, he was asked to meet with French officials regarding a letter sent to Macron alleging insufficient action by the French state to combat antisemitism. Kushner did not attend that summons personally, and a representative met with ministry officials instead.
Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
