French investigators are examining new evidence that could see the killing of young nationalist activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon reclassified as premeditated murder, after CCTV footage showed a scooter repeatedly circling the area shortly before the fatal attack.
Seven people have already been charged in the case, all of them activists close to the La Jeune Garde anti-fascist movement. According to information revealed by Europe 1, investigators have recently focused their attention on a scooter, spotted several times at the scene of the crime by the neighbourhood’s CCTV cameras. The vehicle does not follow a random route, but makes several trips back and forth, confirming the hypothesis of reconnaissance.
It has been established that scouting by scooter is one of the methods used by Antifa activists in Lyon, who typically identify their potential victims—starting with tracking them on social media—before launching a physical attack, blocking an isolated target in an ambush. A former member of La Jeune Garde, who testified openly for Frontières magazine, confirmed this practice, which he himself engaged in alongside MP Raphaël Arnault.
The scooter’s licence plate was identified by one of the victims of the attack that cost Quentin his life. For the moment, despite police investigations, the vehicle remains untraceable. However, it is a key piece of evidence in the case: if the direct involvement of the scooter driver is established, the charges against the suspects could be reclassified from “voluntary homicide” to “murder.”
At the same time, an investigation has been opened by the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office against La Jeune Garde for “reconstituting a dissolved league.” La Jeune Garde had been officially dissolved in June 2025 by decision of the council of ministers but continued its activities in defiance of the law. Another parliamentary assistant from the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) who was a member of La Jeune Garde has since resigned quietly.
Even as the murder investigation continues, MP Raphaël Arnault is set to publish a Manual for Anti-Fascist Response on March 20th. In the book’s introduction, we read that “the grassroots activist and co-founder of La Jeune Garde proposes to reopen certain strategic discussions and advocates for comprehensive anti-fascism, from the streets to the Assembly.”
