Racist attacks targeting the new mayor of Saint-Denis Bally Bagayoko, just like the controversial statements on CNews referring to “the family of great apes”, resonate strongly among the residents of this suburb of Paris, proud of its diversity.
“Allo? Is it true that you have to wear a veil to go to school?” “Is this the city of blacks and Arabs?” Messages like these, the five switchboard operators at the town hall of Saint-Denis claim to receive several times a day since the election of Bally Bagayoko (LFI). “We have crossed a threshold in openly racist remarks made by users who take advantage of the anonymity of calls to unleash themselves,” summarizes Kelly Kidou, head of the reception service at the town hall.
“We even once received a call where people just played the song ‘A Sunday in Bamako’ (by Amadou and Mariam), without even speaking,” she laments, adding that the switchboard operators had never received such calls under the tenure of Mathieu Hanotin, the former socialist mayor.
Bally Bagayoko, 52, was born in Hauts-de-Seine to Malian parents. This father of four was elected in the first round on March 15 with 50.77% of the votes, thus becoming the mayor of the largest rebellious city in France. Since his election, he had already been the target of a hate campaign spread by the far right on the X social network.
“Esprit de corps”
Last weekend, the mayor was also the target of controversial remarks on CNews, reported by several parliamentarians and anti-racist associations to Arcom, the audiovisual and digital watchdog. The government expressed its support for the new mayor and will consider the possibility of “criminal proceedings” against the authors of these remarks, announced Tuesday in front of the deputies by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
A few meters from the Basilica of Saint-Denis, burial place of the kings of France, the showcase of the independent bookstore “La P’tite Denise” highlights African authors or works dedicated to immigration, cultural or religious differences. Since March 13, Saint-Denis has been hosting the 54th edition of its “fortnight against racism and solidarity,” a festival celebrating the diversity of over a hundred nationalities represented in this city of 150,000 inhabitants, the second largest in France.
Damien (name changed), 35, a seller in this committed bookstore, feels a deep unease since the election of “Bally,” as he calls him, and the attacks he is facing. “Everyone talks about it in the bookstore,” he explains. “It ultimately creates solidarity and a kind of team spirit in the city that wouldn’t necessarily have been as strong without this wave.”
“We infantilize, we humiliate people”
In the streets around the town hall, a few electoral posters are still visible. It is in this neighborhood, near the tram, that the premises of the Franco-Moroccan association of Saint-Denis are located. At its head, Mohammed Ouaddane, with graying dreadlocks, does not hold back: “We are being belittled. By attacking the mayor, we attack the population.”
“We infantilize, we humiliate people. It’s unbelievably violent. Essentially, we’re telling them: you elected a monkey! Well, no, we didn’t elect a monkey, we elected a person to represent us because our representation until now was very limited,” continues the 62-year-old activist.
A former semi-professional basketball player, then a coach, the new mayor is not a beginner. He entered politics in 2001 alongside the former PCF mayor of Saint-Denis, Patrick Braouezec. “We have been fighting for years for an intercultural, plural France, which in our view exists. And Saint-Denis is a laboratory for this plurality and for this France that is rebuilding itself differently,” enthuses Mohammed Ouaddane, who wants to remain optimistic. On Saturday, he will participate in a large “citizen gathering” against racism and discrimination on the square in front of the town hall, at the call of Bally Bagayoko.
