Several suspects have been identified in an investigation into the death of a French far-right activist, including some linked to the "ultra left," said a source following the case on Tuesday.

Quentin Deranque, 23, died after sustaining a severe brain injury when he was attacked by at least six people last week on the sidelines of a far-right protest against a left-wing politician speaking at a university in the southeastern city of Lyon.

The suspects were not known to authorities as security threats, the source said.

Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran confirmed that suspects had been identified, "but not all," without elaborating about their profiles.

He added that no arrests have been made, saying more evidence was still needed.

The incident has fuelled tension between France's far right and hard left ahead of municipal elections in March and the 2027 presidential race, in which the far-right National Rally (RN) party is seen as having its best chance yet at winning the top job.

An anti-immigration collective called Nemesis, which claims to fight violence against Western women, said Deranque had been at the protest to protect its members.

Nemesis has blamed the killing on La Jeune Garde (Young Guard), an anti-fascist youth group co-founded by a hard-left lawmaker before he was elected to parliament.

The government has blamed rhetoric from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party for fuelling the violence that led to Deranque's death.

Thursday's attack has been described as "a pitched battle between members of the far left and the far right," according to another source close to the probe.

A video broadcast by TF1 television of the alleged attack shows a dozen people hitting three others lying on the ground, two of whom manage to escape.

A witness said "people were hitting each other with iron bars."

Lawmakers held a minute of silence on Tuesday afternoon at France's National Assembly in memory of Deranque, while a march is expected to be held in Lyon next Saturday in his honour. (AFP)


Edited by Tony Sabine