‘Racist ideology lodges itself amid austerity politics’: newly elected French mayor on tackling far right

April 4, 2026

TL;DR

Bally Bagayoko, recently elected mayor of Saint-Denis, has been subjected to racist abuse, which is currently under investigation.
He stated that racist views are becoming more common and trivialized in France, linking this to the rise of far-right ideology.
Bagayoko believes that economic inequality and austerity politics create conditions that allow the far right to thrive by exploiting societal divisions.
He aims to address inequality in Saint-Denis, a town with a young, multi-ethnic population facing discrimination and unemployment, to counter these divisions.
Thousands are expected to attend an anti-racism rally in support of Bagayoko, emphasizing the need for collective action against racism and hatred.
The mayor highlighted that the French motto of liberty, equality, and fraternity is not fully experienced in all areas of France and must be preserved.
Bagayoko, a senior manager and former local councillor, is the first mayor of Saint-Denis from a family with a history of African immigration, seeing his election as breaking a 'glass ceiling'.

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