Three French police officers go on trial over 2020 Paris beating

Three French police officers were scheduled to go on trial on Monday in Paris over the 2020 beating of Black music producer Michel Zecler, France 24 reported. The three officers said Michel Zecler was not wearing a face mask during the Covid-19 pandemic at the time of the incident. [1]

France 24 reported that the assault on Michel Zecler, who is now 47 years old, was captured on camera. The recorded beating sparked nationwide outrage in France and renewed public scrutiny regarding police violence and racism. [1]

According to France 24, the proceedings represent a rare instance of a police brutality case going to court in France. Victims and researchers state that police violence in the country is systemic, while law enforcement unions and authorities maintain that such actions are limited to isolated cases. [1]

Tensions surrounding policing in France have a long history. During the Algerian War on 17 October 1961, the French National Police attacked a demonstration of 30,000 pro-National Liberation Front Algerians in Paris under orders from police head Maurice Papon. The government acknowledged 40 deaths in 1998, while historians estimate between 200 and 300 Algerians died from heavy-handed beatings and mass drownings in the river Seine. [2]