French professors defend violence against murdered student

The death of Quentin Deranque, who was beaten to death by members of the Jeune Garde group on the sidelines of a conference by Rima Hassan at the Lyon Institute of Political Studies (IEP), has reopened the debate on the left-wing politicization of certain academic institutions.

According to the daily Le Figaro, two professors at Sciences Po Paris downplayed the tragedy and suggested that the victim was to blame for the attack. Le Journal du Dimanche reports on this.

The statements were made in a WhatsApp group chat with approximately 250 professors called "Private Debates of Sciences Po Professors." There were claims that "these little Nazis got what they were looking for," as well as reflections on whether anti-fascist violence was necessary.

One of the teachers described Quentin as a "nationalist activist," and later there was also a claim that "he is an anti-fascist and the dead man is a neo-Nazi."

The publication of these statements sparked widespread controversy. Former Interior Minister and Republican leader Bruno Retailleau reacted sharply, saying it was shameful for a prestigious school to act as an ideological laboratory for the far left and justify the unjustifiable.

(max)