2 days ago
Four French policemen to stand trial for beating black musician
On the evening of November 21, 2020, Michel Zecler was beaten up in his Parisian music studio after police confronted him for a supposed "strong smell of cannabis" and for not wearing a mask, as required at the time because of Covid.
The four-minute ordeal ruptured his left biceps tendon.
The policemen's accusations of "violence" and "rebellion" against Zecler were quickly dismissed, and video footage released five days later contradicted the initial police account.
The policemen will stand trial for illegal use of force, a source close to the case said Friday, though they will not face aggravated hate-crime charges, even though Zecler said at least one of the policemen made racist comments.
Prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to classify the attack as a hate crime.
"We regret that the aggravating circumstance of racism was not retained, despite the evidence gathered and testimony that confirmed it," said Caroline Toby, Zecler's lawyer.
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"Nevertheless, the court decided that the accused should answer for their actions before a criminal court, and took into account the seriousness of their actions," she added.
At the time, President Emmanuel Macron said the police's actions were "unacceptable" and "shameful".
The policemen later admitted the use of excess force and two of them have already spent a month in jail.
This trial "is consistent with the reality of this case, namely that at no time has it been established that racist remarks were made by the police officers", said Jean-Christophe Ramadier, the lawyer of one of the officers.
