Paul Kirby, BBC, Europe
French authorities have detained two more people in connection with the murder of a far-right student activist.
His attack is suspected to have been carried out by people from the radical left in Lyon.
The number of people detained so far has increased to 11.
Quentin Derank (23) suffered a fatal brain injury when he was beaten and kicked during a demonstration in mid-February on the sidelines of a conference held by Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament from the far-left France Inconquered (LFI) party.
Among those detained is LFI party parliamentary assistant Rafael Arnaud.
He announced that his assistant, Jacques-Ély Favreau, had suspended all work in parliament and that his contract was being terminated.
Even before his detention, Favreau's lawyer stated that Arnault had formally denied responsibility for the activist's death and had been unable to continue with his duties due to death threats.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the Invincible France (LFI), has sought to distance the party from Derank's violent death, as it faces attacks from opponents across the political spectrum.
In just under a month, France will hold key local elections - the final test of public opinion before the presidential elections, scheduled for 2027.
The political climate ahead of the vote is chaotic.
Minority government Sebastien Lecornu has adopted the budget for 2026 for the third time.
The party headquarters was evacuated due to a bomb threat, Manuel Bompar, the LFI party coordinator, announced on February 18th.
He accused a large number of political circles and the media of making false and defamatory statements.
"I call for an end to this absolutely despicable exploitation of the tragedy that occurred in Lyon on February 12th, for which the LFI bears absolutely no responsibility."
"This atmosphere should worry everyone," he told reporters.
Video footage taken that night shows three people lying on the ground being attacked by a larger group of hooded men.
According to the feminist organization Nemesis Derank was outside the venue to protect its members.
They blamed the attack on the Young Guard, which the group denies.
Maud Brejon, a government spokeswoman, called on the LFI to suspend Arnault from the parliamentary group over his links to the anti-fascist Young Guard, which they blame for violence near the University of Sciences Po the Lion.
A minute of silence was held in the National Assembly on February 17th for the young activist, and MPs criticized the radical left leader and his colleagues.
Mélenchon has "moral and political responsibility" for what happened, said Jordan Bardella of the far-right National Rally.
Even former LFI MP Alexis Corbyn called on the party to politically consider the unfortunate event.
"Without sabotaging the presumption of innocence," the LFI must quickly "sort out" its statements, ideas, and the situation within its own ranks, Prime Minister Lecroun said.
Mélenchon hit back, saying he refused to learn from Lecornu.
See what Giselle Pellico told the BBC
However, more moderate figures on the left, such as François Hollande, the former Socialist president, have accused Inconquistador France of being responsible for the atmosphere in the country's political life.
"It is clear that in the local elections there can be no alliance between socialists or reformist left-wing parties and the LFI in the second round," Hollande said on February 18.
For months, the party indulged in a kind of "brutal" debate, so there was no political space for dialogue between the far left and the far right, he added.
The actions of the police were also criticized, as local forces were alerted to the Rima Hasan incident, but riot police were not on site at the time of the fatal attack.
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