Bally Bagayoko has moved on from threatening to disarm the police to questioning their intervention in illegal activities.
The controversial mayor of Saint-Denis, the second-largest city in Île-de-France, has yet again come under the spotlight despite only being mayor for over a month. This time, the issue was an unauthorized rap video being shot this past Sunday in the Franc-Moisin housing project. The event reportedly drew as many as 250 people to the streets to enjoy music and barbecues, presumably serving as the backdrop to the video.
The police patrol that first arrived on the scene met a large crowd of locals, extras, and the film crew itself. After finding that the crew had no proper authorization to occupy the public space or shoot a video, the police requested that filming of the rap video stop immediately.
🇫🇷Paris, France
Bally Bagayoko, the new mayor of the multicultural Saint-Denis neighborhood, gives a "victorious middle finger gesture" upon entering the Town Hall.
Bagayoko belongs to the far-left LFI party, run by Jean-Luc Mélenchon.pic.twitter.com/HUkDwasGVv
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) March 17, 2026Unfortunately, tensions escalated quickly, and the officers found themselves amidst a crowd of hundreds on a dead-end street. They were then allegedly targeted with various projectiles and blocked from leaving.
Mayor Bally Bagayoko, present on site, claims he was only called to the scene to calm the situation. “I was called by residents of the neighborhood. I came because I was nearby,” he said, according to Le Parisien. He also insisted that “the situation could have escalated” had he not been there to calm things down.
However, a police source indicates that the mayor, in fact, would have supported continuing the shoot.
Some 80 police officers were ultimately called to the scene, with reports that tear gas was used to disperse the crowd. No injuries were reported.
Bagayoko still took advantage of the incident to call into question the decision of the first police car to stop and question the filming at all, especially as many families were present. At the same time, the mayor tried to assure critics that he would remind people of the laws in place for such shoots, calling for “a little education and understanding” to avoid such incidents in the future.
Bagayoko was elected just last month but has since become a highly popular politician, especially on the left. The Odoxa barometer of the most popular political figures has ranked the mayor of the second largest city in Île-de-France in 20th place among the political figures who generate the most support, with 14 percent favorable opinions, writes Le Parisien.
Just last week, the Ifop-Fiducial barometer for Paris Match and Sud Radio put him at number 22 on their list.
After being elected, Bagayoko promised to disarm municipal police, telling one news portal that “those who are not aligned with our political project will leave of their own accord.” His statement raised concerns that the mayor intends to let thugs rule the streets, a worry that will not be abated by this last weekend’s rap video riot.
Another local councilwoman also resigned in disgust after seeing Bagayoko speaking for several minutes outside the town hall with the man convicted of ordering a violent attack on her two years ago. The two reportedly ended the conversation “with a very warm handshake.”
Bagayoko is an increasingly popular member of La France Insoumise (LFI), led by the highly controversial Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has said, “We are destined to be a Creole nation and so much the better.” Bagayoko has also, soon after taking up his post as mayor, referred to Saint-Denis, known as “the city of kings,” (la ville des rois) as “the city of Blacks” (la ville des Noirs).
