On Saturday, downtown Bagnères-de-Bigorre awoke to graffiti that struck a chord of provocation. On several walls, tags targeting figures from La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) were discovered, with the explicit message: "Bagayoko, Obono, Bilongo, Hassan: remigration." In this town of approximately 7.000 inhabitants, the message was far from harmless scribbles; it targeted names and origins.
In the aftermath, the independent centrist mayor, Nicole Darrieutort, filed a complaint for "vandalism (...) by inscription, sign, or drawing," according to an official document provided by the gendarmerie. The graffiti refers to the new LFI mayor of Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko, as well as LFI members of parliament Danièle Obono and Carlos Martens Bilongo, and LFI MEP Rima Hassan—four figures of immigrant origin. This deliberate targeting goes beyond simple political criticism.
"Remigration" on the walls, the Republic on the test bench
The municipality condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the graffiti, which it described as "offensive and racist." In its statement, it reiterated that "racism, antisemitism, xenophobia, and all forms of discrimination have no place" in Bagnères-de-Bigorre and stated that it had notified the authorities. Behind this statement lies a clear principle: one can challenge elected officials, but not deface people with spray paint by exploiting their identity.
The timing adds a dark irony. This vandalism occurred on the same day as a rally of several thousand people in Saint-Denis against racism, called by Bally Bagayoko. As if some, far from the marches, had chosen another arena to make themselves heard: that of walls and intimidation, discreet but telling.
In Bagnères-de-Bigorre, this is not an isolated incident: the office of LFI (France Unbowed) MP Sylvie Ferrer has already been targeted several times in recent months with graffiti, including one piece comparing Jean-Luc Mélenchon to a "fascist." The substance of political debate can be harsh, and it already is quite so in the National Assembly and on television, but when the street becomes a platform for identity-based insults, it is the spirit of the times that deteriorates, not just the physical environment. It remains to be seen whether the investigation will identify the perpetrators and, above all, whether the public response will be able to calm tensions without trivializing the poison.
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