Lyon activist’s death tests Mélenchon’s nonviolence stance ahead of elections

Three-time hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon faces criticism ahead of municipal elections after 23-year-old activist Quentin Deranque was beaten to death near a Lyon university during a conference featuring Mélenchon ally Rima Hassan. Authorities are probing possible involvement by the anti-fascist Young Guard, linked to France Unbowed, a group whose ban is being challenged in court. Critics say Mélenchon’s confrontational rhetoric fuels violence, while he and his supporters insist they pursue a nonviolent, electoral “civic revolution.” Macron and other officials weighed in on the incident as France’s political climate grows more polarized.