A short video showing Bally Bagayoko near a burning trash can in front of the Bartholdi high school in Saint-Denis has sparked a heated controversy on social media. Some accounts accused the LFI mayor of participating in the disturbances, or even of starting the fire himself. The elected official categorically denies this, and a longer video provides a different perspective.
Bally Bagayoko denounces "fake news" and "lies." A longer version of the video shows him moving the trash can, already ablaze, away from the school's fence. High school students interviewed by AFP also claim that the mayor had asked the young people present to stop starting fires.
Support for high school students and a separate controversy over violence
The available evidence therefore does not support the claim that Bally Bagayoko himself set fire to the trash can. The short video initially released only showed part of the sequence, and its interpretation has been the subject of numerous political publications.
Another controversy, however, concerns the mayor's statements on the protests. Bally Bagayoko stands by his support for the high school students and has stated, more generally, that violence can be considered legitimate in certain circumstances.
