France Summons U.S. Ambassador After Washington Condemns Killing of Conservative Activist, Insists There Are ‘No Lessons to Learn’
France announced Sunday it will summon U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner after Washington publicly condemned the killing of French conservative activist Quentin Deranque.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the U.S. Embassy’s comments about the case amounted to interference in a matter that “concerns the national community.”
He added that France “rejects any instrumentalisation of this tragedy” and insisted the country has “no lessons to learn” from what he described as an “international reactionary movement.”
Barrot said he plans to raise additional concerns with Ambassador Kushner, including U.S. sanctions imposed on former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and French judge Nicolas Guillou.
He described the sanctions as “unjustified and unjustifiable,” while Macron has reportedly written to President Trump requesting that certain sanctions on European citizens be lifted.
Deranque was beaten to death during a clash with far-left thugs, an attack that has sparked nationwide outrage and renewed debate over political violence in France.
Here is video of the young man in Lyon, France who was beaten to death by Antifa. Quentin, who is now brain dead, was volunteering as security for a conservative women’s group when he was jumped by Antifa, allegedly the Jeune Garde group. https://t.co/yLfycJ0Wxb
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) February 14, 2026
The U.S. Embassy in Paris and the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism said they were monitoring developments.
In a post on X, the embassy warned that “violent radical leftism was on the rise” and should be treated as a public safety threat.
Reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all. Violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety. We will…
— State Dept CT Bureau (@StateDeptCT) February 19, 2026
Sarah Rogers, the State Department’s under secretary for public diplomacy, said the killing demonstrated “why we treat political violence – terrorism – so harshly.”
“Once you decide to kill people for their opinions instead of persuade them, you’ve opted out of civilization,” she wrote.
The Trump administration has also condemned the role of “violent radical leftism” in the case.
The incident has heightened the already febrile atmosphere across France ahead of the upcoming municipal elections.
Around 3,000 people marched in Lyon over the weekend in tribute to Deranque.
« Archenault en prison ! Archenault en prison ! »
Plus de 3000 personnes demandent l’emprisonnement de Raphaël Arnault, de son vrai nom Archenault. pic.twitter.com/ij85EYQfp3
— Frontières (@Frontieresmedia) February 21, 2026
Six men have been given preliminary charges in connection with the assault.
A parliamentary assistant to a lawmaker from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, led by communist Jean Luc-Melenchon, has also been charged with complicity.
The diplomatic dispute follows earlier friction between France and Italy after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described Deranque’s killing as “a wound for all of Europe,” prompting criticism from Paris.
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