U.S. State Department flags terrorism concerns in French activist killing

PARIS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said it is watching closely the case of a French far-right activist killed by suspected hard-left militants, suggesting it might count as terrorism, in comments that may stir fresh tensions between Paris and Washington.

The State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism said it was monitoring the case, warning in a Thursday post on X that “violent radical leftism was on the rise” and should be treated as a public safety threat. “We … expect to see the perpetrators of violence brought to justice,” it said.

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Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers, a public diplomacy official who has taken the lead in a series of attacks on European governments, said in a post on X on Friday that she, too, was keeping close tabs on the case.

“Democracy rests on a basic bargain: you get to bring any viewpoint to the public square, and nobody gets to kill you for it. This is why we treat political violence - terrorism - so harshly,” she wrote.

The U.S. State Department and France’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

The State Department Bureau of Counterterrorism plays a central role in developing terrorist designations and related sanctions work.

Washington and Paris have clashed for months on trade, free speech and foreign policy. Rogers has repeatedly criticised France over its approach to tech regulation and free speech.

Deranque died last Saturday after violent clashes between far‑left and far‑right groups in Lyon.

Prosecutors said six people were under murder investigation, while a former assistant to a France Unbowed (LFI) hard-left party lawmaker faces charges of complicity through instigation.

The incident has shaken French politics, weakening the LFI and boosting the far‑right National Rally ahead of next year’s presidential elections, analysts say. It also triggered a diplomatic spat between Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro in Paris; Editing by Gabriel Stargardter and Philippa Fletcher

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Gianluca Lo Nostro

Thomson Reuters

Gianluca is a markets reporter based in Gdansk, where he covers equities and companies in France and the Benelux countries, with a keen focus on media, telecoms and fintech. Previously, he worked as a journalist in Italy, covering various beats ranging from international business and finance.

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