French police officers face trial over beating of Black music producer

Three French police officers are due to stand trial on Monday, November 9, over the beating of Black music producer Michel Zecler during the Covid pandemic. The defendants face charges of intentional violence committed in a group and forgery over an alleged attempt to conceal their actions in an official report. They could receive prison terms of up to 15 years.

The case concerns a police stop outside Zecler’s Paris studio on November 21, 2020. Officers accused him of being without a compulsory face mask and suspected cannabis use. They forced him into the entrance of his office, where security cameras captured the assault. Investigators found that he received approximately 30 punches and truncheon strikes to his face and body within five minutes.

A medical assessment documented craniofacial trauma, wounds to his lip and scalp, and a completely ruptured biceps tendon. His injuries prevented him from working for 45 days. Zecler, now 47, has a titanium anchor in his left arm following the tendon injury and says he continues to experience nightmares. In a recent interview with Agence France-Presse, he said he wanted the trial to hold the officers accountable.

The accused officers are Aurelien B, now 29, Pierre P, 37, and Philippe T. Their lawyers declined to comment ahead of the proceedings. In their arrest report, the officers said Zecler had struck them and attempted to grab a truncheon. Security footage published several days later by the French media website Loopsider contradicted that account. Zecler said that without the recordings, the officers’ reports could have sent him to prison.

France’s human rights ombudswoman said four witnesses reported racist insults during the attack. The officers denied using them, and the indictment does not include the alleged racism. Zecler maintains that he was subjected to a racist slur and says he will repeat that allegation at the hearing.

The assault provoked widespread anger and renewed debate about police violence in France. Victims and researchers describe the problem as systemic, while authorities and police unions maintain that it involves isolated incidents. Campaigners and rights organisations also cited Zecler’s case as evidence of systemic racism, saying ethnic minorities face harsher policing than white people.

The trial comes amid renewed scrutiny following student-led demonstrations in recent weeks. During those protests, a 14-year-old lost most of his teeth after an officer appeared to fire a grenade at him from close range. Most allegations of police brutality in France are handled internally, and guilty verdicts are uncommon.

Other cases have also reached the courts. An officer is to face trial over the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk at point-blank range outside Paris in June 2023. Footage contradicted the police account in that case, prompting nationwide protests. In 2024, three officers received suspended prison sentences for causing irreversible rectal injuries to Théo Luhaka, a Black man, during a 2017 stop-and-search.

A report published last year by France’s rights ombudswoman found that young men perceived as Arab, Black or north African were four times more likely than the wider population to be stopped by police. Drawing on a survey of more than 5,000 people, it also found they were 12 times more likely to face more severe measures, including frisking during checks.