The French government promised today to ban all violent neo-Nazi groups after the death of 19-year-old "anti-fascist" student Clément Méric in the heart of Paris, reports The Independent.
Eight people are in custody after a slanging match and scuffles between far-right and far-left activist ended in the beating to death of the brilliant young student.
The eight detainees claim to have acted in "self-defence" during a street brawl which began when both sets of young activists turned up at the same discount sale for casual clothes. Witnesses said that Mr Meric was punched savagely in the face by a young man wearing a knuckle-duster. His head struck a metal post as he fell the ground and he died later in hospital. However, how the fight developed and the circumstances leading to Mr Meric's death remains unclear.
Mr Meric's death has renewed fears that the heated debate over gay marriage in France could unleash sustained far-right political violence. Activists in favour of gay marriage, including the gay fashion billionaire, Pierre Bergé accused leaders of the anti- same sex marriage protests of "creating the poisonous atmosphere" which led to the killing.
The centre-left newspaper Le Monde warned against over-simplification but said that the "verbal violence" of some protest leaders, who had called for "resistance" to a democratically approved law, gave "undreamed of" encouragement to extremist groups.
Read more of this report from The Independent.