French Police Officers Face Trial Over Assault on Black Music Producer During Covid Mask Mandate

Three French police officers are to go on trial over the assault on Michel Zecler, a black music producer, who they accused of not wearing a face mask during the Covid pandemic. The incident, which took place on November 21, 2020, in Paris, has sparked outrage and highlighted systemic police brutality in France. Zecler, now 47, was pushed into the entrance of his studio and violently beaten by the officers, who are now aged 29, 37, and 47. The assault, recorded by Zecler's studio's security cameras, lasted about five minutes and resulted in severe injuries, including a ruptured biceps tendon and craniofacial trauma. The officers face charges of intentional violence committed in a group and forgery for trying to cover up their actions in an official report. They face up to 15 years in jail. The case has further evidence of systemic racism, with campaigners and rights groups claiming that ethnic minorities, particularly black and Arab individuals, receive harsher treatment from the police. The officers' lawyers declined to comment before the trial, which is set to begin on Monday. The assault on Zecler, who has a titanium anchor in his left arm due to the ruptured tendon, has also been linked to another incident where a 14-year-old boy lost most of his teeth when a police officer fired a grenade at close range during student protests. Most cases of alleged police brutality in France are dealt with internally, and guilty verdicts are rare. In 2024, a judge gave suspended jail sentences to three officers who inflicted irreversible rectal injuries on a black man, Theo Luhaka, during a stop-and-search in 2017. Young men 'perceived as Arab, black or from north Africa' are four times more likely to be stopped by police than the rest of the population, according to a report by France's rights ombudswoman. They are 12 times more likely to be subjected to more severe measures, including being frisked during checks, the report stated after a survey of more than 5,000 people.