Saint-Denis Mayor Bally Bagayoko to Sue CNews Following Racist On-Air Comments

Bally Bagayoko, the newly elected mayor of Saint-Denis and member of La France insoumise, announced on Saturday, March 28, 2026, that he would file a legal complaint following remarks made the previous evening on CNews by psychologist Jean Doridot, which multiple left-wing politicians condemned as racist. During a televised debate about Bagayoko's first days in office, Doridot invoked the concept of "homo sapiens" as "social mammals and part of the family of great apes" and drew a parallel between the mayor's authority and that of a "chief" in a "tribe." The remarks prompted immediate condemnation across the French left and triggered referrals to Arcom, France's audiovisual regulator. CNews management, contacted by AFP, dismissed the controversy as "unfounded."

Doridot's words draw comparisons to a "tribal chief" Jean Doridot, described in source articles as a psychologist and a regular guest on CNews, made the remarks during a segment in which the host asked whether Bagayoko was "trying to push the limits" in his new role. Doridot responded by stating that "in any community, in any tribe — our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived in tribes — there is a chief whose mission is to establish his authority," before linking that observation directly to Bagayoko's election. He went on to discuss the power a mayor holds in a municipality and referenced the impossibility of removing an elected official "by the will of the prince, in the time of kings." Critics argued the framing — invoking great apes and tribal structures in direct reference to a Black mayor born to Malian parents — carried unmistakable racist connotations. Mathilde Panot, leader of the LFI group in the National Assembly, wrote on X that the mayor had been "compared to a monkey and a 'tribal chief'" on the channel. „On CNEWS, the mayor of Saint-Denis Bally Bagayoko is compared to a monkey and to a 'tribal chief'” — Mathilde Panot via 20minutes

Lawmakers file referrals to Arcom over broadcast content Several parliamentarians moved quickly to refer the matter to Arcom, France's broadcast regulator, citing the remarks as a violation of content standards. Communist senator Ian Brossat announced what he called a "new report" to Arcom, signaling that this was not the first time the channel had faced such a referral. „Yet another confirmation that this channel is a racist cesspool” — Ian Brossat via 20minutes Ecological deputy Léa Balage El Mariky, a member of Les Écologistes, also announced an immediate referral to Arcom and expressed solidarity with Bagayoko on X, describing the remarks as "crude racism." CNews, which is part of the media group associated with businessman Vincent Bolloré, has faced repeated regulatory scrutiny in recent years over the content broadcast on its platform. The channel's management offered no further elaboration beyond its characterization of the controversy as unfounded.

Bagayoko calls for a broad rally against racism and fascism Bagayoko, who was elected mayor of Saint-Denis in the first round of the March 15, 2026 municipal elections, responded to the controversy by announcing both a legal complaint and a public mobilization. „There will be a complaint filed (...) I will very soon take the initiative of a major gathering and I would like everyone to be there (...) against racism and against fascism” — Bally Bagayoko via France 24 Saint-Denis, the largest city in the Seine-Saint-Denis department and the second-largest municipality in the Île-de-France region after Paris, has been described by CNews itself as a "laboratory" of La France insoumise. Bagayoko was born in Levallois-Perret in the Hauts-de-Seine department to Malian parents. The episode has drawn wider attention to the treatment of left-wing elected officials, particularly those from minority backgrounds, in French broadcast media.

CNews has faced repeated referrals to Arcom in recent years over content deemed to breach broadcast impartiality and anti-discrimination standards. The channel is part of the media holdings linked to Vincent Bolloré, whose influence over French media has been a recurring subject of political debate. Saint-Denis, located in the Seine-Saint-Denis department north of Paris, is one of France's most diverse and densely populated urban municipalities. La France insoumise's victory there in the first round of the March 2026 municipal elections was noted by observers as significant, though the party recorded mixed results elsewhere in the same vote, according to web search results.