SAINT-DENIS, France: Bally Bagayoko, the newly elected black mayor of the French capital´s largest suburb, says racism is growing in the former colonial power, and the authorities need to keep discrimination in check.
“We are living in an increasingly racist society,” Bagayoko told AFP in an interview in his home city of Saint-Denis. “I mean a form of racism that is more overt and almost completely unchecked.”
The 52-year-old hard-left politician was elected in the first round of municipal elections on March 15, his supporters hoisting him above their shoulders to celebrate their victory.
But almost immediately, the Frenchman born to Malian parents and brought up in the neighbourhood was targeted by racist disinformation or remarks, some aired on television.
