Saint-Denis Mayor Bally Bagayoko Backs School Protests as Paris Region Reports €1M in Damage

Viral video and mayor's response

High school students organised blockades across the Paris region through the Union syndicale des Lycéens to protest shortages of teachers, resources, and poor school conditions. Bally Bagayoko, the La France Insoumise mayor of Saint-Denis, joined demonstrators outside local schools including Lycée Bartholdi and Lycée Paul-Éluard. Online scrutiny intensified after video clips showed Bagayoko standing near a burning trash bin outside Lycée Bartholdi before dancing with students. Right-wing and far-right figures accused the mayor of setting the fire or encouraging unrest, while footage released by L'Humanité and Bagayoko himself showed him moving the burning container away from the school gates to prevent property damage. Bagayoko rejected the allegations on Tuesday, describing them as grotesque claims designed to undermine the student movement.

My personal construction is the product of that, fake news, lies. So I have no time to lose with that.

Financial toll and regional response

The Île-de-France regional authority reported on Tuesday that total damages across Parisian high schools reached nearly €1 million. Regional officials stated that around ten entrance gates were put out of service and require full or partial replacement, alongside costs for fire damage, broken windows, graffiti, security guards, and deep cleaning. Valérie Pécresse, the conservative president of the Île-de-France Regional Council, accused Bagayoko of encouraging rioters and announced that the region will send a repair invoice exceeding €100,000 directly to the municipality of Saint-Denis to cover damage at Lycée Paul-Éluard. An earlier assessment cited across the region had estimated preliminary damage at €200,000 before the broader tally was compiled.

Political confrontation between government and left-wing leaders

The school mobilisations prompted sharp exchanges between the French government and left-wing opposition figures. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned what he described as an irresponsible escalation by radical left officials supporting the blockades. In response, La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused the prime minister of ordering police repression with obvious racist undertones and urged party lawmakers to position themselves at school entrances. National Assembly deputies Louis Boyard and Antoine Léaument joined protest lines in Val-de-Marne and Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, where Léaument pledged to abolish the Parcoursup admissions system. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez characterised the disturbances as urban violence, while Rassemblement National deputy Julien Odoul called on CNews for Bagayoko to be removed from office.

We are proud to be at the gates of the high schools to defend our kids.

Municipal strike support in Saint-Denis

The controversy widened on Tuesday when the municipal administrations of Saint-Denis and neighbouring Pierrefitte-sur-Seine closed their doors in solidarity with broader public sector strike action. Town halls, the central administrative building, and the Salvador-Allende municipal center for social action ceased public operations for the day. Bagayoko committed to maintaining full pay for striking municipal agents, referring to the decision as a noble risk. At the same time, Bagayoko defended his comments regarding police flash-ball use and tensions outside school grounds, asserting that while de-escalation is preferable, tensions often arise directly from aggressive policing.

Violence, at a given moment, can be legitimate, but every time we can avoid it, it is better.