French Mayor Confronts Racist Backlash Following Landslide Election Victory
Bally Bagayoko has been elected as the mayor of Saint-Denis, securing a decisive first-round victory with 50.77% of the vote last month. However, his triumph has been marred by a disturbing wave of racist abuse, prompting police investigations and national outrage.
Racist Abuse and National Response
Following his election, Bagayoko faced a barrage of racist insults, including derogatory references to apes and tribal chiefs on television debates. The Paris prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into these comments, as well as separate online hate targeting the mayor. Anti-racism groups have filed complaints with broadcast regulators, while CNews, the channel involved, has denied allegations of racism.
Switchboard staff at Saint-Denis town hall have reported receiving racist phone calls, and a collection of hate mail, including letters suggesting Black elected officials "escaped from a zoo," is being compiled for police. In response, thousands are expected to attend an anti-racism rally in support of Bagayoko, with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemning the abuse as a "normalisation of racism and evil" in France.
Background and Political Context
Bagayoko, 52, was born in France to Malian parents and grew up on a housing estate in Saint-Denis. He has served as a local councillor for 19 years and works as a senior manager in the Paris transport company, RATP. Elected as a member of Jean-Luc Mélenchon's radical left party, La France Insoumise (LFI), with communist support, he now leads the party's largest town, with a population of 150,000.
Saint-Denis is a diverse, deindustrialised town bordering northern Paris, part of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, one of the poorest in France. It hosted events during the Paris 2024 Olympics and faces issues of discrimination, high unemployment, and gentrification. Bagayoko sees his election as breaking a "glass ceiling" for families with immigration backgrounds, but it has sparked a backlash rooted in racist stereotypes.
Challenges and Policy Priorities
Bagayoko argues that successive governments under President Emmanuel Macron have failed to address economic inequality, which he believes fuels divisions and allows far-right ideology to gain traction. "The far right – and racist ideology – lodges itself where there are austerity politics," he stated. "From the moment you have policy that divides the population, it allows the far right to bed in and accentuate those divisions by placing blame on others."
He highlights the segregation and lack of state investment in low-income areas outside Paris, calling for improved education, housing, and balanced development to combat inequality. While welcoming middle-class residents to Saint-Denis, he emphasizes the need for equitable growth amidst gentrification concerns. Additionally, he is considering measures to limit certain weapons among municipal police.
Broader Implications for France
With Macron's presidency ending in 2027 and the far-right National Rally party polling high ahead of next year's presidential election, Bagayoko's experience underscores deepening racial and political tensions. He warns that racist comments are becoming trivialized in France, urging urgent action to uphold the national motto of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Bagayoko vows to continue speaking out against racism, noting that many victims remain silenced. "But how many people in France are victims of racist insults and are unfortunately kept silent? Far too many," he lamented, calling for collective action to stem the rise of far-right ideas and promote social cohesion.
