Some 3,200 people took part in a tense march on Saturday, honoring student Quentin Deranque after he was killed in a political altercation last week.

Many of the participants wore face masks. They also carried flowers and pictures of Deranque with the words: "Justice for Quentin" and "The extreme left kills."

The  23-year-old sustained fatal head injuries after he was attacked by several people on the sidelines of a protest against the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party in Lyon. The incident inflamed political tensions and put focus on LFI and its leader, Jean-Luc Melenchon, who condemned the violence and denied his party was responsible for it.

Deranque's parents avoid the Lyon march

Some demonstrators attending the Saturday march commemorating Deranque held white tulips and displayed stickers bearing the slogan: "Quentin, killed by Melenchon’s militia."

In turn, some Lyon residents also hung signs from their windows reading "Lyon is antifa" and "Love is greater than hate."

The AFP news agency cited a friend of Deranque as saying that he attended the march "to defend his memory." The activist's parents said they would not participate in the rally, and hoped the event would go ahead "without violence" and "without political statements," according to their family lawyer.

The march ended without violence, though local officials said police was investigating Nazi salutes, as well as racist and homophobic slurs captured on video during the event.

While Lyon's mayor called for a ban to the rally, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez declined the request, arguing that he had to "strike a balance between maintaining public order and freedom of expression." 

Nunez also said he had planned an "extremely large police deployment," with reinforcements from outside the city to ensure security.

French government to discuss 'violent action groups'

At least 11 people have been detained in connection with the killing, including an assistant to a hard-left member of parliament.

Authorities later said seven suspects are now facing preliminary charges.

The case has strained tensions ahead of municipal elections in March and the 2027 presidential race.

France's far-right National Rally (RN) urged supporters to avoid rallies on Saturday but the party also has cast the hard left as the real danger to France. LFI has condemned the killing.

French President Emmanuel Macron also urged "everyone to remain calm."

Deranque's death also drew sharp reactions abroad. The US State Department described it as "terrorism" and blamed rising "violent radical leftism," while Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the killing "a wound for all Europe," prompting Macron to tell her to stay out of French affairs.

Citing diplomatic sources, the AFP news agency also reported on Sunday that a high-level French-Italian summit has been postponed, though it was not clear if the news is connected to Deranque's death.

The French government is set to convene a meeting next week on "violent action groups which are active and have links with political parties" as investigations continue, according to Macron.

"In the Republic, no violence is legitimate," Macron said Saturday. "There is no place for militias, no matter where they come from."

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez