French Police Officers Involved in Assaulting a Black Man Charged with Willful Violence – Reports

The Paris prosecutor’s office has charged police officers involved in assaulting a black musical producer in Paris earlier this month with intentional violence, according to a  Le Parisien newspaper report on Monday.

The report said that the officers had been placed in custody.On Nov. 21, Michel Zecler, a black musical producer, was walking in the 17th district of the French capital without a mask, violating the state-backed health protocol.

The man saw a police car and went into his studio to avoid a fine, but was followed by law enforcement officers, who then physically abused him.

The French Loopsider news outlet published a video from a security camera showing the beating.According to the newspaper, two of the four policemen taking part in the incident were taken into custody, and the others were placed under judicial control.

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Three officers who were captured by a security camera footage were charged with “intentional violence by a person holding state power” and “forgery in public writing,” in line with the prosecutors’ request.

The fourth policeman was charged with “intentional damage to health” for throwing a tear gas grenade in the producer’s studio, which he claimed he did out of ignorance of the situation in a bid to assist the detention operation.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called the incident a “disgrace for France” after he saw the images of the beating.

The incident was followed by a series of rallies across France on Saturday against the new legislation criminalising the display of images of police troops, which turned into violent unrest.