France needs to take concrete action to tackle growing racism before the 2027 presidential election, the newly installed mayor of Saint-Denis Bally Bagayoko tells RFI, after facing racist abuse in the weeks following his election in mid-March.
Born in France to Malian parents, Bagayoko of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party – which the government has designated "far-left" – is now mayor of the second largest town in the Ile-de-France region after Paris. Shortly after being elected, he was the subject of racism, notably on the CNews television channel, on which a guest compared him to a primate. Bagayoko has filed an official complaint against the broadcaster. His town hall has also received racist phone calls.
