The homicide of Quentin Deranque, a far-right militant, on February 14, has placed antifascism at the center of a political debate on militant brutality. In a tribune, historian Pierre Salmon emphasizes that antifascism, originating in 1920s Italy, largely rejects violence unlike its fascist opponents.
The death of Quentin Deranque, which occurred on February 14, has turned antifascism into a political target, with frequent associations between antifascist militants and the use of brutality. According to historian Pierre Salmon, an expert on the subject, this view overlooks the complex history of antifascism, which developed in Europe from the 1920s as a resistance movement rather than a rigid dogma.
Antifascism cannot be reduced to violence, Salmon explains. It is a fluid movement, shaped by local and transnational political recompositions. A key example is the French Popular Front (1936-1938), elected against misery, war, and fascism. This coalition, encompassing moderate and radical currents, did not openly advocate the use of force in politics, including from the French Communist Party at the time.
This intrinsic diversity accounts for antifascism's ambivalent relationship to violence and legality since its origins. From the early 20th century, police repression and assaults by far-right groups prompted a principle of self-defense on the left. This approach, mimicking street violence, sometimes aimed at long-term insurrectional goals, though the majority of antifascists favor legalism, pacifism, and antimilitarism as core elements of their militant cultures.
Salmon contrasts this with the inherent cult of brutality in fascisms, noting that history shows violence frightens antifascists more than it attracts them.
