Quentin D., a 23-year-old nationalist militant, is in a brain-dead state following a violent assault on Thursday evening in Lyon, on the sidelines of a conference by LFI MEP Rima Hassan. His relatives accuse antifascist militants, while judicial authorities are conducting a cautious investigation. Political reactions from all sides condemn the incident.
On Thursday, February 12, 2026, around 7:40 p.m., Quentin D., a 23-year-old Lyon student and Catholic convert nationalist militant, was found unconscious near Quai Fulchiron in Vieux-Lyon, along the Saône River. A lightly injured friend alerted emergency services, reporting an assault that occurred shortly before in the city center. Taken to Édouard Herriot Hospital, the young man suffers from a cerebral hemorrhage and is in a state of 'brain death,' according to Alice Cordier, director of the feminist and identitarian collective Némésis. His relatives describe his condition as 'desperate' and note that he was not known to the justice system, defending his convictions non-violently. The family does not wish for therapeutic obstinacy.
The assault occurred on the sidelines of a conference by Rima Hassan at the Institut d'études politiques (IEP) in Lyon, in the 7th arrondissement. Several Némésis militants had unfurled a banner protesting her presence, with the slogan 'Islamo-gauchistes out of our campuses.' Quentin D. was part of an informal security detail to protect these militants. The Némésis collective accuses antifascist militants, particularly from Jeune Garde – a group dissolved in 2025 and founded by LFI deputy Raphaël Arnault –, of being responsible. They identify Jacques-Élie Favrot, Arnault's parliamentary collaborator and Jeune Garde member, among the assailants. Raphaël Arnault had not responded immediately.
Rima Hassan firmly condemned the facts on X, stating that her La France insoumise (LFI) security service is 'not involved' and calling for justice to be done. On the right, figures such as Éric Zemmour, Marine Le Pen, Jordan Bardella, and Sarah Knafo expressed support for the victim, labeling the far left a threat and demanding the dissolution of antifascist groups. Bruno Retailleau and François-Xavier Bellamy criticized LFI's initial silence. On the left, Lyon's Green mayor Grégory Doucet condemned the brawl 'with the utmost firmness,' followed by Marine Tondelier, Anaïs Belouassa-Cherifi, and Manuel Bompard, who offer their support to Quentin and his family. Minister Philippe Baptiste described the violence as 'unbearable.'
The Lyon prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for 'aggravated violence,' assigned to the national police. Authorities remain cautious about the circumstances, noting that the incident was not initially linked to protests near the IEP or at Lyon-3 University, where disruptions occurred without serious violence reported.
