French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault announced Sunday that he would summon Charles Kushner, the U.S. ambassador to France, for his comments about the death of a far-right French activist earlier this month, which he deemed “interference.”
Quentin Delanque, 23, who suffered severe head injuries during a brawl in Lyon on February 12, died two days later, drawing criticism from the Trump administration, which blamed his death on left-wing violence.
“We are summoning the U.S. ambassador to France because the embassy has published a national-community commentary on this incident. We reject any intervention in this incident,” Barot said in an interview with radio station France Inter.
On Friday, the U.S. Embassy in France shared an
“A violent radical left is on the rise, and its impact on Quentin DeRank’s death illustrates the threat it poses to public safety,” the X-Post reported.
The deadly scuffle was caught on video, showing several masked people kicking and punching the man as he fell to the ground, sending shock and anger across France.
Authorities have charged two people with murder in connection with Delanque’s death, and a total of 11 people have been arrested.
The incident also sparked a diplomatic spat between France and Italy, after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Delanque’s death was caused by “groups associated with left-wing extremism” and accused “ideological hatred sweeping several countries.”
This is not the first time Kushner has been summoned amid criticism from French authorities.
In August 2025, the Foreign Ministry summoned Kushner after he accused the French government of “lack of sufficient action” to combat anti-Semitism.
