// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Bally Bagayoko? Bagayo-ko at soccer?
Bally Bagayoko | |
|---|---|
.png) Bagayoko in 2026 | |
| Mayor of Saint-Denis | |
| Assumed office 21 March 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Mathieu Hanotin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 July 1973 Levallois-Perret, France |
| Party | LFI |
| Education | Paris 8 University |
Bally Bagayoko (born 31 July 1973) is a French politician. A member of La France Insoumise (LFI), he was elected mayor of Saint-Denis in 2026.
Early and personal life
[edit]Bagayoko was born on 31 July 1973 in Levallois-Perret, in the department of Hauts-de-Seine.[1] He grew up in Saint-Denis, and his family is of Malian origin.[2] He is a Muslim.[3] He earned a degree in geopolitics from Paris 8 University.[4]
Bagayoko played basketball to a semi-professional level, in the departmental and then regional leagues. He was the coach of Saint-Denis Union Sports, and took the club from the departmental league to the third national division.[5]
Political career
[edit]Bagayoko was first elected to the city council in Saint-Denis in 2001. He was deputy mayor to Patrick Braouezec.[2]
In the 2026 French municipal elections, Bagayoko was elected mayor of Saint-Denis, the second largest city in the Île-de-France region after Paris itself. He won in the first round, and was the only mayor of a city with over 150,000 inhabitants to not require a second round of voting.[6] His proposals included the gradual disarming of the local police, starting by ending purchases of rubber bullets.[7] His opponent, incumbent Mathieu Hanotin of the Socialist Party, said that drug dealers would approve of Bagayoko's plans for disarming the police; Bagayoko sued for defamation and his lawsuit was dismissed.[8] A July 2026 investigation by France Info found that in December 2025, Bagayoko advocated on behalf of Ahmed Doumbia, a recidivist criminal whose nightclub had been closed by authorities; he referred to Doumbia as "family" while discussing with a council member. He told France Info that he regretted his association with Doumbia.[8][9][10]
After his election, Bagayoko sued the news channel CNews for allegedly racist comments about him. The channel said the statements were taken out of context.[7] Prosecutors announced an investigation into alleged hate speech, and a separate investigation into alleged cyberbullying.[11] He was targeted over an online video which purported that he called Saint-Denis "la ville des noirs" (the city of blacks) when he said "la ville des rois" (the city of kings), referring to the French kings buried in the Basilica of Saint-Denis.[7]
Bagayoko removed the portrait of president Emmanuel Macron from the mayor's office, and refused demands from the prefect to restore it. Displaying the portrait of the president is a tradition in France, but not a legal requirement.[12]
Ahead of a visit by Pope Leo XIV, Bagayoko said that Christianity is part of a heritage shared by all French citizens, including Muslims like himself. He highlighted his city's basilica, where most of France's kings were buried.[3] He has publicly opposed France's 2004 law prohibiting religious clothing in schools, believing it to be an attack on fundamental rights and the Muslim community, and has opposed sporting federations banning the hijab.[13]
During the 2026 French lycée protests, Bagayoko said "violence, at a certain moment, can be legitimate".[14] He danced with protesters who were forming a blockade around their school in Saint-Denis.[15] Patrice Faure, the prefect of Paris Police, referred the statement to prosecutors for alleged incitement to criminal activity. Bagayoko defended his statement and said that it was not incitement, and defended his presence around the protests, saying "that's where an elected official should be".[14]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Bally Bagayoko". Le Progrès (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 Cazaux, Sophie. "Municipales 2026: qui est Bally Bagayoko, le nouveau maire LFI de Saint-Denis?" [2026 municipal elections: who is Bally Bagayoko, the new LFI mayor of Saint-Denis?] (in French). BFM TV. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 Meeschaert, Aldric (23 September 2026). "«La laïcité n'est pas l'amnésie» : Bally Bagayoko assume «l'héritage chrétien» de la France avant la venue du pape Léon XIV" ["Secularism is not amnesia": Bally Bagayoko affirms France's "Christian heritage" ahead of visit by Pope Leo XIV]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ Spet, Sorelle (19 May 2026). "Bally Bagayoko : quelles études a suivi le maire de Saint-Denis et nouvelle star des Insoumis ?" [Bally Bagayoko: what studies did the mayor of Saint-Denis and new star of La France Insoumise follow?]. Gala (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ "Bally Bagayoko, son passé dans le basket" [Bally bagayoko, his past in basketball] (in French). Sports.fr. 1 May 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ Diallo, Rokhaya (8 April 2026). "A new generation of politicians of colour is emerging in France. The backlash speaks volumes". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 "New Saint-Denis mayor sues TV channel CNews over racist comments". Radio France Internationale. 31 March 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 Hallot, Géraldine; Pietri, Julie (2 July 2026). "À Saint-Denis, les délicates interventions de Bally Bagayoko en faveur de deux frères condamnés pour trafic de drogue" [In Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko's delicate interventions on behalf of two brothers convicted of drug trafficking] (in French). France Info. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- ↑ Belattar, Melissa (2 July 2026). "Trafic de drogue, boîte de nuit illégale, club de foot… les troublantes interventions du maire LFI de Saint-Denis en faveur de deux frères condamnés" [Drug trafficking, illegal nightclub, football club… the troubling interventions of the LFI mayor of Saint-Denis on behalf of two convict brothers]. Midi Libre (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- ↑ Cherigui, Nadjet (6 July 2026). "« Bally, c'est la famille » : à Saint-Denis, les liaisons dangereuses du maire Bally Bagayoko avec des frères condamnés pour trafic de drogue" ["Bally, he's family": in Saint-Denis, the dangerous liaisons of mayor Bally Bagayoko with brothers convicted of drug trafficking]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- ↑ "French prosecutors open hate speech probe into polarising news channel CNews". France 24. 3 April 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ "Bally Bagayoko refuse d'accrocher le portrait de Macron dans son bureau malgré la demande du préfet" [Bally Bagayoko refuses to hang the portrait of Macron in his office despite the prefect's demand]. Libération (in French). 6 May 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ Revol, Michel; Roland-Lévy, Roland; Turc, Jean-Marc; El Bou-Coutterau, Ismaël (12 August 2026). "Bagayoko se dit en même temps « pour la laïcité » et pour le port du voile" [Bagayoko says that he is both "for secularism" and for the wearing of veils]. Le Point (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 Doussot, Candice (1 October 2026). "Blocage de lycées : le maire de Saint-Denis Bally Bagayoko « maintient ses propos » sur la « violence légitime »" [School blockades: mayor of Saint-Denis Bally Bagayoko "defends his statement" on "legitimate violence"]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- ↑ Moore, Henry; Kirby, Paul. "Dozens hurt and hundreds arrested in wave of French school protests". BBC News. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- 1973 births
- Living people
- 21st-century mayors of places in France
- Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis alumni
- People from Levallois-Perret
- People from Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis
- Mayors of places in Île-de-France
- La France Insoumise politicians
- French men's basketball players
- French basketball coaches
- French people of Malian descent
- French Muslims