French police officers face trial over beating of black man not wearing mask during Covid
Three French police officers—Aurelien B, 29, Pierre P, 37, and Philippe T—are standing trial over the violent November 21, 2020 beating of Black music producer Michel Zecler. Stopped outside his Paris studio for allegedly failing to wear a mandatory Covid-19 mask and on suspicion of cannabis use, Zecler was forced inside his building and struck with roughly 30 punches and truncheon blows over five minutes. The assault left him with craniofacial trauma, scalp and lip wounds, and a ruptured biceps tendon requiring a titanium anchor, leaving him unable to work for 45 days.
Studio security footage published by the media outlet Loopsider directly contradicted the officers' initial arrest report, which falsely claimed Zecler had attacked them and tried to seize a truncheon. The officers now face charges of intentional violence committed in a group and forgery for attempting to cover up their actions, carrying sentences of up to 15 years in prison. Although four witnesses and France's rights ombudswoman noted that the officers used racist slurs, the charge of racial motivation was excluded from the formal indictment.
Court appearances for police brutality are exceptionally rare in France, where complaints are typically resolved through internal disciplinary processes. The trial has renewed scrutiny over systemic racism in law enforcement, reinforced by ombudswoman findings that young men perceived as Black or Arab are four times more likely to be stopped by police and twelve times more likely to face invasive frisking.
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