Bally Bagayoko sues CNews after a segment deemed racist

On Wednesday, Bally Bagayoko, the LFI mayor of Saint-Denis, announced he was filing a complaint against CNews and two of the channel's contributors, psychologist Jean Doridot and philosopher Michel Onfray, following remarks he deemed racist during their broadcast. In an interview, the mayor said he felt targeted by a "hate campaign" and denounced a society that is "increasingly racist." The tone is set, and it is aggressive: beyond the complaint, the mayor is demanding a stronger response from the authorities and is even calling for the closure of the Canal+ group's news channel.

Complaint, Arcom, closure… the escalation has begun.

On Friday evening, the debate on CNews focused on the first days of the new mayor's term. Jean Doridot referred to "Homo sapiens" and "tribes" with a "chief" tasked with "establishing his authority," terms that the mayor's entourage considers stigmatizing. The following day, Michel Onfray described an attitude of "dominant male," after the mayor called for "allegiance" on the evening of his election. For its part, CNews declined to comment on Wednesday, after having stated on Monday that it "formally denies that any racist remarks were made" on its channel.

The institutional arena remains, the one that matters when the controversy moves from the studio to the legal sphere. Arcom (the French broadcasting regulator) indicates it has been notified and is conducting an investigation, a standard procedure but one closely scrutinized in a climate where every word spoken live can lead to legal action. Bally Bagayoko, for his part, is calling for a "major rally" against racism on Saturday at 14 p.m. in front of Saint-Denis City Hall, hoping to transform indignation into a public demonstration. Between the justice system, the regulator, and the public, this affair has sparked a power struggle whose outcome is still unknown.