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Trial of French police beating of Black man: Witnesses believed ‘if we don’t intervene, Michel will die’
Five young men who were in music producer Michel Zecler’s Paris studio basement when three police officers beat him in 2020 testified at the officers’ trial. They described trying to reach Zecler because they feared he would die, then being caught up in a confusing and frightening confrontation with police. Their accounts matter because they bring attention to people who say they were harmed and overlooked in the case.
The men said officers forced their way into the basement, used tear gas and ordered them to the ground; several described being beaten or subjected to degrading searches. Mohamed suffered a broken wrist and was unable to continue his driving job, while others spoke of lasting trauma and difficulty seeking support. Five of the nine people present have joined the case as plaintiffs, and the court told them a separate preliminary investigation into what they experienced was still open, six years after the incident.
In short
- Five studio guests described violence and trauma at the officers’ trial.
- Mohamed suffered a broken wrist and lost his driving job.
- A separate investigation into the guests’ treatment remains open.
Explained simply
Michel Zecler is a Black French music producer who was beaten by police officers in his Paris studio in 2020. Several young men were in the basement at the time, where they say officers entered, used tear gas and ordered them to the floor.
The men say they tried to reach Zecler because they feared for his life, and that they too were beaten or subjected to degrading searches. One suffered a broken wrist and said he could no longer do his driving job; others described lasting trauma.
Five of the nine people present have joined the case as plaintiffs. Their accounts raise questions about how the people caught up in the incident were treated and why a separate investigation into their experiences remains open.
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