Police beating of Black man stirs fury
PARIS — Video of police officers beating a Black man in Paris has caused an outcry in France, fueling criticism of a new bill that would place restrictions on sharing footage of security forces as French authorities grapple with longstanding accusations of police racism and brutality.
The beating, last Saturday, only came to light because of a graphic video posted Thursday on social media by Loopsider, a French digital news outlet.
Prosecutors in Paris have opened an investigation into the beating, and the officers involved have been suspended. Police in Paris also said an internal inquiry had been opened.
The beaten man, Michel Zecler, a music producer, told Loopsider that he had been approaching his recording studio when he spotted a police car on a side street. Fearing a fine because he was not wearing a mask, which is mandatory in France because of the pandemic, Zecler said he quickly entered the studio. Three police officers followed him inside.
Security camera footage obtained by Loopsider shows that a scuffle began when Zecler resisted the officers as they grabbed him. The officers pummeled him repeatedly over several minutes, using their fists and feet, as well as a police baton. Zecler said the officers also used a racial slur against him.
Zecler was held for 48 hours, accused of violence against the police and resisting arrest, but the Paris prosecutor’s office dropped the charges.
The beating came amid heated debates over a new security bill pushed by President Emmanuel Macron’s government, which includes a provision that prescribes a penalty of a year in prison for anyone who broadcasts “the face or any other identifying element” of police officers in action if the goal is to “physically or mentally harm” them.
Critics say that language is too open to interpretation and intended to discourage journalists and bystanders armed with smartphone cameras from documenting police brutality, amid growing criticism of aggressive police tactics and resistance from police unions.