PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, February 18, 2026: The killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque has plunged France into political chaos, as one of the suspects was revealed to be working for the far-left France Unbowed party. Meanwhile, as tributes for civil rights activist Jesse Jackson continue to fill the papers, so too do analysis pieces about his contribution to US politics. Finally, in football, the Champions League is rocked by a racist incident during a playoff match.
At least nine people have been arrested in connection with the fatal beating of 23-year-old Quentin Deranque. The political fallout is all over the French front pages. Le Figaro headlines with: "Quentin: the net is closing in on la Jeune Garde and LFI", referring to the far-left France Unbowed party, known by its initials LFI in French, while L'Opinion headlines with "The left's guilty silence about LFI". Libération's front page features a photo of the heated debates that happened in the National Assembly on Tuesday. Finally, Mediapart says that Quentin's death has sparked a cultural war; one that sacrifices truth and seeks to profit from tragedy.
Meanwhile, tributes are still pouring in for US civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who died on Tuesday at the age of 84. The Washington Post features an article written by a journalist who covered Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign and who describes the blatant racism the Democratic candidate had to overcome, even from his own party. The BBC discusses Jackson's lesser-known experience as a hostage negotiator. He helped negotiate the release of two US soldiers who were held captive by Yugoslav forces in 1999. The Guardian calls Jackson a "living bridge between Martin Luther King and Barack Obama".
In football news, a racist incident during a Champions League game on Tuesday is getting a lot of coverage. Spanish sports paper Marca headlines with "Executioner and victim". It all happened during the first leg of the Champions League playoffs, where Benfica played Real Madrid. Brazilian international Vinicius Jr was reportedly insulted by a Benfica player. The Athletic reports that the game had to be stopped for 10 minutes, and a red card was handed to Benfica staff. Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé has called for the Benfica player in question to be banned from the Champions League.
Finally, the Guardian has a photo report of the first half of the annual Shrovetide Football event, which has been played in England since the 12th century.
You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.
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