In Lyons, the regrettable consequences of the fascist atmosphere
Tuesday 17 February 2026, by NPA-l’Anticapitaliste (NPA-A)
After years of warning about the establishment of violent neo-Nazi groups, the tragic death of a far-right nationalist activist – formerly a member of the royalist group Action Française and the neo-fascist splinter group Allobroges Bourgoin – has brought the situation of the social movement opposed to the far right in Lyon back into the spotlight. [1]
The Lyons context
It was on the sidelines of a public meeting with Rima Hassan, MEP for La France Insoumise, that the Némésis collective came to provoke, as it has been doing regularly for more than two years in many places. [2]
This time, it was in Lyons, where left-wing political groups, anti-racist collectives, Palestine solidarity groups, bookshops and people of colour have for years been victims of attacks by violent, racist and virilist groups. As a result, they are developing self-defence strategies.
These far-right groups attack places, events and people, without any reaction from the state.
The far right and racism kill
The far right and its ideas kill. According to studies, of the 53 ideologically motivated murders committed between 1986 and 2021, 90% were carried out by the far right. We think of Federico Martín Aramburú, shot dead in 2022 by Loïk Le Priol and Romain Bouvier, members of the GUD (a far-right fascist group). We also remember Clément Méric, an anti-fascist activist killed by the nationalist far right in 2013.
Let us not forget the recent racist murder of Ismaël Aali, south of Lyon, or those of Djamel Bendjaballah, Rochdi Lakhsassi, Mustafa and Ahmid, Hichem Miraoui and Aboubakar Cissé, also for racist motives, and in particular Islamophobic motives in the latter case.
The demonisation of the radical left
Media coverage is disproportionate. It serves the interests of those who, for several years, have been demonizing a left that refuses to give up and the activists who are fighting fascism on the ground.
Already, for the municipal elections [on 15 and 22 March], the Ministry of the Interior classified LFI as far left a few days ago. Today, Gérald Darmanin speaks of the “Mélenchon militia”.
The normalization and trivialization of the far right and its racist, masculinist and LGBTQIAphobic ideas have reached new heights over the past two years.
They are the result of anti-social and security policies pursued for decades by successive governments, which have taken up racist ideas and closed borders. They are the result of trade union and political opposition being silenced and repressed by the various Macron governments.
Building a mass front
For several days now, fascist groups have been calling for revenge. They have attacked the premises of political organizations such as LFI and, in Lyon, the premises of Solidaires trade-union and the La Plume Noire bookshop.
Anti-fascist activists, particularly those from the former Jeune Garde, are being publicly accused of murder and threatened with death, with their personal information being revealed online. We offer them our full support.
Fascists idealize and romanticize violence and death and threaten our side, that of the exploited and oppressed, while anti-fascism fights for equality and justice.
There are many forms of struggle. But there are no shortcuts in the fight against fascism. To oppose it, we need unity – and not just in elections – between trade unions and political forces committed to social transformation.
More than ever, we need to build a united mass front capable of pushing back the fascists at the ballot box, but above all in the streets, in neighbourhoods and in workplaces.
There is an urgent need to maintain a united, popular and mass anti-fascist line in the face of the coming brown wave. Anti-fascists for as long as it takes!
Montreuil, 17 February 2026
Translated by International Viewpoint from l’Anticapitaliste.
Footnotes
[1] The Guardian, 16 February 2026 “French police launch murder inquiry after far-right activist’s death in Lyon”.
[2] This far right collective calls itself feminist and in particular tries to insert itself into feminist demonstrations such as those on 25 November and 8 March.
NPA-l’Anticapitaliste (NPA-A)
The New Anti-Capitalist Party in France was founded in 2009 on the call of the LCR (French section of the Fourth International). Following a division in 2022 there is today the NPA-A and the NPA-Révolutionnaires.
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