Bally Bagayoko accused President Emmanuel Macron of responsibility for what he called excessive police force against students. Demonstrators across France are demanding better school funding and conditions.
Saint-Denis Mayor Bally Bagayoko called on the French government to resign, saying it had no further solutions to offer protesting students. In an interview with RT, he also held President Emmanuel Macron responsible for what he described as excessive use of force by police.
Bagayoko said Macron had publicly backed security forces by referring to their lawful use of force and, in the mayor’s view, encouraged a hard-line response. Lenta.ru reported that Bagayoko had earlier stepped between students and police during one of the demonstrations.
The protests began over teacher shortages and the condition of school buildings, which students attribute to insufficient funding. The Associated Press reported that demonstrations took place nationwide on October 6, with more than 250,000 people taking part according to government figures. Police used tear gas in Paris and other cities.
Lenta.ru, citing BFMTV, reported nearly 500 arrests during the October 6 rallies. AP separately reported more than 6,500 arrests, mostly of minors, since the protests began several weeks earlier. The figures cover different periods and should not be conflated.