Right‑wing student Quentin Deranque killed in Lyon protest – On 12 February 2026, the 23‑year‑old math and data student was assaulted during a clash at Lyon’s Institute for Political Studies after a far‑right demonstration against EU MP Rima Hassan; he lingered on the pavement, was taken to hospital and died two days later, prompting a homicide investigation [1][4][6][8][7].
Minister Philippe Baptiste urges universities to cancel political events – In a BFMTV interview, the French minister for higher education announced that no further university meetings will be held because of the clear risk of “ordensforstyrrelser,” and urged tighter cooperation with security authorities to prevent similar disturbances [2][3].
Rima Hassan’s scheduled talks cancelled after the killing – The EU parliamentarian’s lecture at the elite École normale supérieure de Paris‑Saclay on 27 February was called off, and the earlier Lyon event was disrupted, reflecting heightened security concerns, according to France 24 [4].
Violent clash involved masked attackers and a banner protest – Seven women from a far‑right collective displayed a banner opposing Hassan; left‑wing activists tried to remove it, leading to a fight where about twenty masked assailants attacked the group, an incident captured on video broadcast by TF1 [6].
Deranque’s background: recent Catholic convert, no criminal record – His lawyer Fabien Rajon described him as a diligent mathematics and data student, tennis player and philosophy enthusiast who had recently embraced Catholicism, participated in self‑defence training, and held no prior convictions, per La Croix and La République du centre [8][7].
University Lumière Lyon 2 issues condolence statement and counseling – The university expressed profound sorrow, called the homicide “unthinkable,” and announced a psychological support service for students and staff, while urging respect and rejecting exploitation of the tragedy for political gain, as stated on its website [9].