A British independent journalist and YouTuber with more than 200,000 subscribers has been hospitalised with multiple facial fractures and a concussion after being attacked while filming the annual May Day protests in Paris, in an incident he has attributed to Antifa militants.
Wesley Winter, who documents protests and political events across Europe, says he was ambushed and beaten by a group of attackers near Place de la Nation on 1 May while filming alone amid clashes between demonstrators and police involving tear gas. He says his attackers used knuckle dusters, stole his camera and microphone, and that the assault felt deliberately targeted rather than opportunistic. He later woke in hospital with memory gaps and disorientation consistent with the concussion he sustained.
Winter shared photographs of his bloodied face and visible swelling in a YouTube video titled “They tried to k*ll me… I’m still here,” which has since been viewed nearly 300,000 times. He is now returning to the United Kingdom for surgery on his cheekbone.
In an accompanying post on X, Winter said: “I was attacked in the Paris May Day protest by Antifa. I suffered multiple facial fractures and a concussion. These groups will label you far right, a Nazi, just for speaking to people on the right, and more importantly if you question immigration. We’re seeing the far left become more radicalised.”
He appealed for any bystander footage of the assault and framed the attack as part of a wider pattern of violence targeting independent journalists who cover protests without ideological alignment. “Independent journalists are the ones exposing them for what they are,” he said. “That’s why we’re targets.”
Winter also referenced the death of 23-year-old Quentin Deranque in Lyon in February 2026, describing it as part of the same escalation of far-left violence. Deranque died from brain injuries sustained during what French officials and media described as a mob attack during clashes between far-right and far-left groups. Suspects linked to the militant group Jeune Garde Antifasciste were subsequently arrested. The case prompted public statements from French Interior and Justice Ministers blaming far-left militants and sparked significant political tension across France.
No arrests in connection with the attack on Winter have been publicly confirmed, and police have not officially verified his account of Antifa involvement. Winter has said he intends to continue reporting despite the assault.
