| Raphaël Arnault | |
| Constituency Am: | Vaucluse's 1st constituency |
| Assembly: | French National |
| Term Start: | 18 July 2024 |
| Predecessor: | Catherine Jaouen |
| Party: | La France Insoumise |
| Birth Date: | 8 January 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Lyon, France |
| Birth Name: | Raphaël Archenault |
| Otherparty: | New Anticapitalist Party |
Raphaël Arnault (pronounced as /fr/; born Raphaël Archenault, pronounced as /fr/; 8 January 1995) is a French "anti-fascist" and politician, currently member of the National Assembly for Vaucluse's 1st constituency.[1] A member of La France Insoumise, he founded the Jeune Garde Antifasciste in 2018, and serves as its spokesperson.[2] He has been flagged with three fiches S by law enforcement.[3]
Arnault was born at the Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse in Lyon.[4] He first became involved in politics because of the 2016 protests against the El Khomri law.[5] He joined the New Anticapitalist Party and was its candidate in Rhône's 2nd constituency in 2022.[5]
In 2022 Arnault was convicted of "violence in a group" after an altercation with an alleged far-right activist,[6] although Arnault appealed the judgement.[7]
On May 6, 2024, he was summoned by the police without being prosecuted,[8] following a press release dated October 7, 2023, in which he described Hamas as a resistance movement: "Today, the Palestinian resistance has launched an unprecedented offensive on the Israeli colonial state". The communiqué was withdrawn the same day, according to Raphaël Arnault, "in view of the horrors that were manifested" during the attack.[9] [10]