France to summon US ambassador after embassy comments on activist’s death
france will summon the United States ambassador, Charles Kushner, after the US embassy posted comments about the killing of a far-right activist in Lyon, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, a step that escalates a diplomatic dispute tied to a recent deadly street assault.
Diplomatic clash over embassy comments
Barrot told French media, “We are going to summon the United States ambassador to France since the US embassy in France commented on this tragedy, … which concerns the national community. ” He added, “We reject any attempt to use this tragedy … for political purposes. ” The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs did not specify when Kushner, who is the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, would be summoned.
Details of the Lyon attack and public reaction
Quentin Deranque, 23, died from head injuries after being beaten on the sidelines of a February 12 demonstration in Lyon that opposed an appearance by a politician from the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party. About 3, 000 people joined a march in Lyon organised by far-right groups to pay tribute to Deranque, and President Emmanuel Macron called for calm as the killing heightened tensions ahead of next year’s presidential election.
US statements inflame tensions
US government posts and comments drew sharp attention. Sarah Rogers, the US Department of State’s undersecretary for public diplomacy, wrote on X that Deranque’s killing showed “why we treat political violence – terrorism – so harshly, ” adding, “Once you decide to kill people for their opinions instead of persuade them, you’ve opted out of civilization. ” The State Department’s bureau of counterterrorism posted in French that “Violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety, ” a message that was shared by the US embassy account.
Barrot’s decision to summon the ambassador follows other international reactions. The killing prompted a public exchange between national leaders, with Italy’s prime minister calling the death “a wound for all of Europe” and President Macron criticizing the intervention as meddling in domestic affairs.
Prosecutions and immediate fallout in Lyon
Authorities have charged six men suspected of involvement in the fatal assault, and a parliamentary assistant to a far-left MP has been charged with complicity. The killing has been described in public comments as carried out by far-left activists, and it has triggered protests and a broader debate on political violence in france.
The French government’s next concrete step is the planned summoning of Ambassador Charles Kushner; the timing has not been announced by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Officials have publicly framed the move as a response to US embassy statements, while investigators continue the criminal cases related to the February 12 attack in Lyon.
