Riot police tear gas French mayor in student demonstrations

Parisian mayor Bally Bagayoko required medical attention after attempting to intervene between riot police and students during nationwide protests concerning school conditions. Bagayoko, mayor of Saint-Denis, a northern Parisian suburb, claimed he put himself between the two groups to protect others and request the police to cease.

Footage revealed he received eye drops from supporters when the police decided to charge. The students, chanting his name, had no aggressive behavior towards the officers. The protests, ignited by concerns about overcrowded and unsanitary classrooms, teacher shortages, and unequal opportunities, have spread across France. They demand measures such as replacing absent teachers, repairing aging school buildings, extending school days, and increasing lunch breaks.

French Prime Minister Sebastian Lecornu acknowledged the students' legitimate grievances but deemed the demonstrations the most violent in decades. Over 6,000 arrests and 215 injured students and police officers have resulted from the unrest. One 15-year-old student suffered a severe injury after mishandling a police sting grenade.

Bagayoko called for a political response to the protests, emphasizing the existing disparity in resources allocated to working-class neighborhoods. He is a member of the far-left-wing La France Insoumise party and a first-generation Malian-born mayor of Saint-Denis.