A large rally was held Saturday in Saint-Denis, the largest suburb of Paris, in support of the town’s newly elected Black mayor and to protest racist attacks directed at him. Organizers said about 20,000 people gathered in front of the Saint-Denis town hall.
Bally Bagayoko, 52, was elected in the first round of the municipal elections on March 15 as a candidate of the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party. Almost immediately after his victory he became the target of racist attacks and false stories, including on national television, prompting widespread condemnation.
Speaking to the crowd, Bagayoko reiterated commitment to republican values and criticized institutions he said had sometimes failed or been complicit in allowing the attacks. Born in France to parents from Mali, he grew up in Saint-Denis, one of France’s most diverse towns with a large immigrant community.
The demonstration brought together trade unions, civil society associations and music groups. LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon attended and denounced what he called a wave of racism coming from political and media elites that shows contempt for part of the population.
Prosecutors said they opened an investigation into possible public insults of a racist nature. Some of the most prominent abuses cited by organizers and Bagayoko came from a guest on CNews, a channel owned by businessman Vincent Bolloré and often likened to Fox News; Bagayoko has filed a complaint against the network. Authorities have also launched an inquiry into racist comments made on the social media platform X.
French Prime Minister Sebastian Lecornu publicly criticized what he described as the normalisation of evil and racism in response to the far-right campaign against the mayor.
The rally in Saint-Denis was presented by organizers as a show of solidarity with Bagayoko and a broader stand against racism in politics and the media. Edited by: Sean Sinico