The mayor of Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko, has called on the French cabinet to resign after high school student protests in Paris led to widespread clashes.
Bagayoko accused French President Emmanuel Macron of being responsible for excessive police force against young demonstrators during the rallies. Speaking to RT correspondent Nadège Abderrazak, the mayor stated that the cabinet must step down because ministers have nothing left to offer the protesting students.
According to Bagayoko, Macron encouraged security forces to take harsh action by asserting that legitimate force rests on the side of law enforcement. Bagayoko added that the president bears direct responsibility for the police response. During one of the rallies, Bagayoko personally intervened on behalf of the students by standing between them and police officers.
The protests began when French high school students took to the main streets of Paris to voice discontent over a shortage of teachers and the poor condition of school buildings due to insufficient funding. While the demonstration was initially peaceful, participants later began causing damage, leading to riots and a series of police detentions.
French news channel BFMTV reported that nearly 500 people were detained during the demonstrations on October 6. Several law enforcement officers were also injured in clashes with protesters.
Student grievances and local governance in Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, located nine kilometres from the centre of the French capital. In France, municipal leaders frequently serve as key intermediaries between local residents and the central administration in Paris, particularly during periods of social unrest.
Secondary education in France is organized nationally, with high schools dependent on central government funding for staffing, facility maintenance, and operational budgets. Teacher shortages and infrastructure maintenance have been recurring topics of debate among French educational authorities and student groups across the country.
Government responsibility and presidential executive powers
Emmanuel Macron has served as President of France since May 2017. Under the constitution of the French Fifth Republic, executive authority is divided between the president and the prime minister, who leads the cabinet of ministers.
While the cabinet handles daily administration and national policy, calls for ministerial resignations reflect growing political pressure on the government to address public grievances over education and policing.
The statements were reported by RT, an international news network funded by the Russian state, while details regarding detentions and casualties were provided by BFMTV, a major 24-hour French news network.
