French far Left MP Raphaël Arnault accused the country’s Right of exploiting the killing of right-wing activist Quentin Deranque for political gain, in an hour-long interview with French outlet Blast.
“They couldn’t care less about political violence; their aim is to wipe out the Left,” said Arnault, who belongs to the National Assembly’s hard-left La France Insoumise bloc.
Deranque was killed two months ago by hard-left militants from the group La Jeune Garde.
Arnault cited subsequent “attacks on LFI’s party offices” as well as “a knife attack on a female candidate in Strasbourg”.
He said he had kept silent until now, doubting that “speaking out more would have helped to calm the situation in the country”.
During the interview, the MP highlighted a long history of “far-right violence in Lyon”.
He also condemned a “reversal of values” that seeks to “make people believe that the enemy is anti-fascism”.
France Interior Minister has been “utterly indecent” in placing blame on La France Insoumise, he said.
“The only fault of La France Insoumise is that it has stuck to its principles and refused to back down on issues that should command unanimous support on the Left,” he said.
In a press conference, Mathilde Panot, President of LFI in the French National Assembly, confirmed that Arnault would be returning to the legislature, without giving further details.
During his interview, Arnault emphasised that anti-fascism is alive and well in the country.
“I am one of the faces of antifascism, but in my absence, others took the lead. This isn’t about me, it’s a much broader struggle.”
“If some people think that by destroying an organisation like La Jeune Garde there would be no more anti-fascism, they are seriously mistaken,” insisted Arnault.
