France’s Macron calls for calm ahead of march for far-right activist killed last week

PARIS, Feb 21 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron called for calm ahead of rallies planned on Saturday in memory of a far-right activist killed last week. 

He said that he would hold a meeting next week with the prime minister and relevant ministers on violent groups.

“In the Republic, no violence is legitimate. In the Republic, only Republican forces can act because they protect the Republican order. There is no place for militias,” Macron said at the opening of the annual agricultural salon on Saturday. He said that the government was on alert to ensure that everything goes well at the marches later on Saturday.

The marches are in memory of Quentin Deranque, 23, who was beaten to death in a fight that was caught on camera and shocked the nation. Police are concerned the marches could turn violent, with clashes between opposing groups. 

The largest march is expected at 3 p.m. in Lyon, the city where Deranque was killed and where there is a concentration of far-right and antifascist groups. The interior ministry estimates that between 2,000 and 3,000 people will attend. There are smaller marches planned in a number of other French towns.

(Reporting by Layli Foroudi; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Kirsten Donovan)