French far-left political party linked to far-right activist's killing says office evacuated over bomb threat

Paris, France — France's hard-left France Unbowed party said Wednesday it had to evacuate its Paris headquarters following a "bomb threat," after it was accused of having some responsibility for the killing of a far-right activist beaten to death on the sidelines of a protest.

"The national headquarters of LFI have just been evacuated following a bomb threat. Police services are on site. All employees and activists are safe," the party's coordinator Manuel Bompard said on X.

The evacuation came hours after French authorities arrested two more suspects over the fatal beating of far-right political activist Quentin Deranque last week. The arrests, announced by a prosecutor in the city of Lyon, brought the number of people detained for questioning over the killing to 11, including eight men and three women.

Deranque, 23, died after sustaining a severe brain injury when he was attacked by at least six people last week on the sidelines of a far-right protest against a left-wing politician speaking at a university in Lyon, in the southeast of France.

The latest man detained, suspected of having a direct link to the violence, and his partner, suspected of having helped him evade justice, were taken into custody as part of the investigation for "intentional homicide," said Thierry Dran, the prosecutor for Lyon.

Six of the other detainees are suspected of having participated in the beating and three of aiding them, a source following the case said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

An assistant to Raphael Arnault, a member of parliament from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, was among the first four detained, the source told AFP. Arnault said he was firing the assistant, Jacques-Elie Favrot.

In a statement, attorney Bertrand Sayn said Wednesday that Favrot, "formally denies being responsible for this tragedy," referring to Deranque's killing.

Arnault was the cofounder of the "Jeune Garde Antifasciste" (Antifascist Young Guard) a far-left radical movement launched in 2018 that focused on opposing far-right, nationalist, and neo-Nazi movements in France. It was created in response to activities by the far-right organization Bastion Social, which was banned in 2019. The Jeune Garde was banned by the French government in June 2025, following accusations that it was inciting violence. 

The group has challenged the dissolution order in the French courts, and a ruling is expected this year.

The killing of Deranque has fueled tension between France's far right and far left ahead of municipal elections in March, and the looming 2027 presidential race.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a social media post over the weekend, after Deranque was killed, said "no cause, no ideology will ever justify killing." 

"Prosecution, bringing to justice, and conviction of the perpetrators of this atrocity is essential," Macron said. "Hatred that kills has no place in our society. I call for calm, restraint, and respect."

LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon said in a message posted on social media that the party was "facing the most ludicrous, the most unfair, and the most dangerous accusations" over the incident, adding a call for "everyone to remain calm and composed. No escalation. Observe, learn, reflect."