# French police officers face trial over beating of black man not wearing mask during Covid

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/french-police-officers-face-trial-over-beating-of-black-man-not-wearing-mask-during-covid/
- Published: 2026-11-09T09:09:01+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T09:27:46+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/nov/09/french-police-officers-face-trial-over-beating-of-black-man-not-wearing-mask-during-covid
- Topics: Europe, World

## Key points

- Three officers face trial over Michel Zecler’s 2020 beating.
- Security footage contradicted their account of the incident.
- The case adds to debate over racism and policing in France.

## Summary

Three French police officers are going on trial over the 2020 beating of Michel Zecler, a Black music producer stopped outside his Paris studio during Covid restrictions. The case drew widespread anger and has become a rare instance of alleged police brutality reaching court, amid wider debate over racism and police treatment of ethnic minorities in France.

Investigators say Zecler was struck about 30 times with fists and a truncheon over five minutes, leaving him with facial injuries and a ruptured biceps tendon that kept him from work for 45 days. The officers face charges of group violence and falsifying an official report, and could receive up to 15 years in prison; they deny using racist insults, which are not included in the indictment. A rights ombudswoman’s survey found young men perceived as Arab, Black or North African were four times more likely to be stopped and 12 times more likely to face more severe measures.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.