At the initiative of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group, the European Parliament held a debate on Wednesday evening on the rise of political violence in Europe, with particular attention to acts committed by far-left extremist groups.

The discussion followed the death of Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old who died after a violent attack in Lyon, which has drawn renewed attention to politically motivated violence in parts of Europe’s public space.

For the ECR Group, political violence must be condemned unequivocally, regardless of its ideological origin. However, ECR Members warned that violence carried out by far-left extremist groups is too often trivialised or treated with less urgency in the public debate.

During the debate, ECR Members also called for Antifa to be included on the European Union’s list of terrorist organisations.

Marion Maréchal MEP said:

“The far left kills. A month ago, Quentin was beaten to death in Lyon. A year ago, it was Charlie Kirk who was killed. The far left, moreover, does not only assassinate. It strikes, it sabotages, it destroys, it intimidates, it threatens.

“It even practices the reversal of accusations by turning its victims into the guilty. Because in their minds, Charlie, Quentin, and all of us on the right side of this chamber deserve to suffer this violence, since according to their famous slogan, a good fascist is a dead fascist.”

Carlo Fidanza MEP said:

“There is a new criminal hub of militant anti-fascism, and the reaction to it must be extremely firm and unanimous: we must strengthen coordination between national police forces and Europol, ascertain the links, and include Antifa and this network of criminal extremism in the EU list of international terrorist organizations.”

Jadwiga Wiśniewska MEP said:

“This is not an isolated case. Reports from organizations combating terrorism clearly indicate that left-wing extremism in Europe is a real, systemic, and growing problem. For the far left, dehumanizing their opponent is common if they consider them a nationalist or a fascist.”

Nicolas Bay MEP stated:

“On the 14th of February, Quentin was killed. This young Christian patriot, 23 years old, was murdered and kicked on the ground for several minutes by members of the Jeune Garde, the militia from La France Insoumise. This violence is an essential part of La France Insoumise’s project.”

The ECR Group stressed that democracy cannot function if extremist groups attempt to intimidate opponents, take justice into their own hands or dominate public space through violence. Political disagreement must be resolved through democratic debate, not through intimidation or physical attacks.

Those responsible for acts of political violence must be held fully accountable, and the rule of law must prevail everywhere in the European Union.