Bally Bagayoko

Bally Bagayoko said he was caricatured and that some media attributed intentions and statements to him that he had not made. He relayed the interventions of Isabelle Saporta and Alain Bauer, whom he thanked for their honesty. He asserted that combating violence among youth required not to feed it with stigmatizing words, policies of abandonment, or contempt. He stated that he prioritized listening and dialogue, an approach he has indicated he has been implementing for years in neighborhoods and in Saint-Denis–Pierrefitte, with educators, leaders, associations, and youth services. Bagayoko criticized those who, according to him, prioritized buzz and escalation over prevention, blaming culprits without addressing the causes, which he cited as relegation, the weakening of public services, and the lack of prospects for a generation. He said he refused to reduce young people to mere incidents and advocated for firmness against violence as well as against abandonment. According to him, lasting tranquility relied on human presence, dialogue, and social justice rather than on slogans. (translated)

Bally Bagayoko welcomed the decision of the Alternative Communist movement to join the approach of La France Insoumise and its candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon for the upcoming presidential elections. He presented this choice as a gesture of unity on the left, based on a program for change, as he believed that the far-right was at the gates of power. He asserted that Mélenchon continued to unite and expand the gathering, while others were shutting themselves in a dead end that he deemed irresponsible. Bagayoko also praised Patrice Leclerc for his commitment to unity. He indicated that the general assembly of Alternative Communist had adopted a text open for signatures from those who identify with the communist sensibility, whether they are party members or not, and that the first signatories would be published on October 14. (translated)

I want to be extremely clear regarding the claim that I was seen hitting a vehicle: it is false, utterly false, and outrageous. This claim aims once again to discredit my presence on the ground, while my approach is precisely the opposite: to participate in the pacification, to avoid as much as possible any escalation, and to support the main demands of high school students. However, I was a direct witness to a particularly dangerous situation. A driver, clearly scared as young high school students had surrounded her vehicle and were hitting it, accelerated, creating a very serious risk of running over and seriously injuring students. In light of the seriousness of this situation, I shouted for the driver to slow down and for the young people to immediately move away from the vehicle. Aware of the danger, I then continued my run toward the police positioned in front of the vehicle to inform them of the seriousness of what I had just witnessed and the extremely dangerous behavior of the driver. We would later learn that she was a police officer. I also want to remind an essential element: the student mobilization was on the roadway, and a request had been made to the police authorities to temporarily stop traffic in front of the school. This request having been denied, the conditions were set for a situation of confrontation between vehicles and students to deteriorate and cause a serious accident. It is precisely to avoid this type of situation that I am present. I also call on law enforcement and their superiors to exercise the greatest restraint. We are facing young students, sometimes very young, who may, due to their age and inexperience, not fully realize the dangers they are exposing themselves to. This obviously does not mean that anything goes. It means that the response must be proportionate, controlled, and directed toward de-escalation, so that no young person is injured and no tragedy occurs. I will continue to call on the youth to act responsibly, particularly not to expose themselves in front of vehicles and to never put their lives in danger. But I will not allow lies and unfounded accusations to push me away from the support I deem necessary for the demands of high school students. Therefore, I call once again on the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of National Education, the Prime Minister, and the President of the Île-de-France Region to do their part in de-escalation. In such a tense situation, every word matters. We must avoid statements that could fuel confrontation and, on the contrary, create conditions for dialogue allowing the demands of high school students to be heard. The priority must remain the safety of young people, calming the situation, and respecting the right to mobilization. (translated)

Generation⋅s has also chosen Jean-Luc Mélenchon for the upcoming presidential elections! A clear, coherent, and courageous political decision by Generation⋅s. By choosing to start negotiations with La France Insoumise to support Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s candidacy, Generation⋅s has opted not to confine itself to a socialist primary and to face the political reality of the moment. This decision comes in a context where the far right continues to progress and strengthen its political and institutional foothold. In the face of this risk, the division of the left cannot become fatality. It must not also lead to a dilution of the convictions of those who advocate for a profound transformation of our social, ecological, and democratic model. This is also why this decision by Generation⋅s can be considered coherent: it prioritizes the unification of the left willing to break from liberal policies around a clearly identified project, rather than the multiplication of candidacies and competing approaches. In this configuration, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s candidacy appears, for those who defend this political line, as the only one today able to widely unify the left of rupture and offer an alternative to both liberalism and the far right. The danger would be to allow the divisions of the left to further open space for the far right, even as some convergences can be observed between certain right-wing forces and the far right. In light of this situation, building a solid, independent, and popular left alternative is more necessary than ever. So let us commend the decision of Generation⋅s. It marks a choice of political coherence: uniting the left forces that want to break from liberal policies, defend social and ecological gains, and construct a true alternative against the far right. The question is no longer about how to organize yet another primary. It is about how to build, right now, the popular unity capable of carrying a transformative left. (translated)

Madam @vpecresse, You announce that you want to send the residents of https://t.co/NgzQcjii4v.s and pierrefittois.e.s a bill of 100,000 €. The Paul-Éluard high school is under the authority of the Region. Its maintenance, security, and the conditions for receiving students are your responsibility, not that of the City. Will you send a bill to every municipality where the youth is mobilizing? I have spent several mornings engaging in dialogue with the young people, parents, teachers, and the forces present to avoid escalation. Supporting the demands of high school students does not mean encouraging vandalism or calling for violence. You announce in your tweet 45 million euros for renovation, which is good. But why did you reduce the funding of half of the public high schools in Île-de-France, last Wednesday? The funding for Paul-Éluard has decreased for the second consecutive year. In January, you increased the funding for private high schools by 4 million. The taxpayers of Île-de-France also have some bills to send you: – 1.487 million euros for Stanislas, between illegal gifts and external fees, an institution implicated for its excesses; – 900,000 € in gifts made to Stérin, the far-right activist; – 25 million euros to compensate for the insufficient funding of public high schools, fundable by recovering the 13 million annual payments made to private high schools without any legal obligation; – 143 million euros to restore the budget cut from vocational training; – and an invaluable bill for all the lives disrupted by malfunctioning transportation. 100,000 € claimed from Saint-Denis. Millions given to the private sector and your friends. There are your priorities. So rather than a bill, come and actually discuss with the young people, and give them what they are asking for: a safe and healthy work site, sufficient staff, and adequate funding. (translated)

"Je maintiens ces propos, car ce sont les propos justes d'un maire qui ne souhaite pas rentrer dans une logique d'escalade de la violence"#LYCEES "Je maintiens ces propos, car ce sont les propos justes d'un maire qui ne souhaite pas rentrer dans une logique d'escalade de la violence", explique sur franceinfo Bally Bagayoko, qui avait estimé mardi que la "violence peut être légitime". #LYCEES #MOBILISATION #EDUCATION

"la violence, à un moment donné, peut être légitime"Le maire de Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), Bally Bagayoko, affirme jeudi 1er octobre sur franceinfo qu'il "maintient" ses "propos" qu'il a tenus mardi matin, devant un lycée francilien bloqué. #ViolenceLégitime #BlocageLycées #Désescalade

I am learning via an AFP dispatch that the police prefect of Paris has sent a report concerning me to the public prosecutor of Bobigny in the context of the high school mobilizations. I take note of this and I will naturally respond to any request from the judiciary. This report seeks to lend credibility to a controversy based on truncated quotes and biased videos. Facts, however, are stubborn and prove that violence is not our method of action. Each of my visits to the various blockades has sought to ensure safe and serene conditions for young people so that they can express their demands. That is the essential matter and nothing should distract us from it. These demands call for a political response, not for silence or repression. And, whatever happens, I will continue to stand by their side, peacefully and firmly. (translated)

"La violence n'est pas légitime. Ce qui est légitime, ce sont les revendications, (…) lorsqu'elles portent sur le fonctionnement de l'institution scolaire (…) elles doivent être entendues et écoutées", a estimé Edouard Gefrray, interrogé sur les propos du maire LFI de Saint-Denis Bally Bagayoko, qui a jugé que la violence "peut être légitime". #ÉducationNationale #ViolenceLycéenne #RevendiquerLégitimement