Roughly 20,000 people filled the streets of Saint-Denis this Saturday, transforming the periphery of Paris into a sea of placards and chants. The demonstration was not merely a show of political alignment, but a visceral reaction to a wave of racist attacks targeting the city’s modern mayor, Bally Bagayoko.
Bagayoko, a member of the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) party, has become a lightning rod for tensions regarding identity and race in France. For the thousands who gathered before the City Hall, the protests against racism in Saint-Denis served as a defense of a man they argue represents the modern, multicultural reality of the French Republic.
The unrest follows a series of televised insults and coordinated disinformation campaigns that have sought to delegitimize Bagayoko’s leadership. The mayor, who is of Malian descent, has framed the attacks as an assault not only on his person but on every citizen who is “purely and simply French,” regardless of their origin.
“We come to manifest with firmness and definitively our deep commitment to the values of the Republic,” Bagayoko told the crowd, addressing a city of approximately 150,000 inhabitants. His voice, steady but strained, reflected a growing frustration with what he describes as the complicity of state institutions in the face of systemic discrimination.
The CNews Controversy and the ‘Simian’ Comparison
The immediate catalyst for the weekend’s mobilization was a broadcast on CNews, a channel owned by the ultra-conservative magnate Vincent Bolloré. During a segment on March 27, psychologist Jean Doridot used language that Bagayoko and human rights organizations have characterized as dehumanizing.
In an attempt to analyze the mayor’s leadership style, Doridot drew a parallel between modern political authority and primate behavior. “We see important to remember that homo sapiens… We are social mammals and of the family of the great apes. And, in every community, in every tribe — our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived in tribes — there is a chief whose mission is to establish his authority,” Doridot stated on air.
While the phrasing attempted a pseudo-scientific veneer, the context—applied specifically to a Black mayor—was widely interpreted as a coded racial slur. The comparison to “apes” and “tribal chiefs” evokes a long and painful history of colonial tropes used to strip people of African descent of their intellectual and political agency.
A Pattern of Disinformation
The CNews incident was not an isolated event. Since his election on March 22, the 52-year-old mayor has been the target of a concentrated smear campaign. On the day of his victory, a fraudulent quote began circulating through far-right social media channels, attributing the phrase “Saint-Denis, the city of the blacks” to Bagayoko.
The mayor has categorically denied ever uttering the words. The Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH), France’s oldest human rights organization, denounced the spread of this lie, noting that such fabrications are designed to paint diverse urban centers as “lost” to the Republic, thereby fueling xenophobic narratives.
This strategy of “othering” a democratically elected official is a recurring theme in the current French political climate, where the boundaries between legitimate political critique and hate speech have become increasingly blurred, particularly within media outlets aligned with the far-right.
Political Alliances and the Silence of the Élysée
The scale of the protest underscored the strength of the alliance between the urban periphery and the radical left. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the founder of La France Insoumise, stood alongside Bagayoko, framing the struggle as a fight for the soul of the Republic. They were joined by representatives from various trade unions and civil society organizations.
While the central government issued a statement condemning the comments on CNews as “ignoble and unacceptable,” the response has been viewed by some as insufficient. Bagayoko specifically criticized President Emmanuel Macron for failing to personally denounce the attacks.
This perceived silence from the Élysée is seen by supporters as a tactical avoidance, as Macron attempts to balance a fractured electorate. However, for Bagayoko, the lack of a personal statement from the head of state is a signal that the dignity of a Black official is treated as a secondary concern.
The Legal Battle Ahead
Bagayoko is not relying solely on public demonstrations. He has filed a formal lawsuit against CNews for the comments made by Doridot. In a rare move showing state alignment against the media outlet, the local prefect has joined the legal action as a civil party, acting on the direction of the government.
The legal proceedings will likely focus on whether the broadcast crossed the line from “freedom of expression” into “provocation to hatred” or “racial defamation,” both of which are criminal offenses under French law.
| Date | Event | Context |
|---|---|---|
| March 22 | Election Victory | Fake quote “city of the blacks” begins circulating. |
| March 27 | CNews Broadcast | Jean Doridot compares the mayor to a “simian” and “tribal chief.” |
| Following Weekend | Legal Filing | Bagayoko files a lawsuit against CNews; government joins as civil party. |
| Saturday | Mass Protest | Approx. 20,000 people march in Saint-Denis. |
Disclaimer: This article discusses ongoing legal proceedings. All parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The next critical checkpoint in this saga will be the preliminary hearings for the lawsuit against CNews, where the court will determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial for racial defamation. As the legal battle unfolds, the eyes of France remain on Saint-Denis, a city that has become a microcosm of the nation’s struggle to reconcile its colonial past with its democratic present.
Do you believe media outlets should be held legally responsible for the rhetoric of their guests? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
