Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of a working-class suburb near Paris, has been a regular presence at student demonstrations, prompting both applause and condemnation.

Demonstrations for a better-funded education system have led to blockaded schools, thousands of arrests and a national political reckoning.

© Abdul Saboor/Reuters

Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of a working-class suburb near Paris, has been a regular presence at student demonstrations, prompting both applause and condemnation.