(Newswire.net — November 29, 2020) —
Protesters in France clashed with police over a new security law that limits the rights to film and photograph police officers.
Tens of thousands of people took the streets of Paris in outrage after a video surfaced that showed police brutally beating a black man. The police who were caught on film can be seen assaulting music producer Michel Zecler at his Paris studio. Four officers who were seen on the video were first suspended and have since been arrested and brought in for interrogation.
Michel, who was assaulted on Thursday, was afraid when he first saw the police approaching him since he wasn’t wearing a mask, which is obligatory by the current coronavirus laws. Michel hid in his studio in hopes of avoiding a fine. Surveillance footage shows police officers following him inside and beating him for several minutes.
Michel’s lawyer, Hafida El Ali said that “they [the police] are offenders who committed serious crimes. They hit my client multiple times for almost seven minutes”.
This attack and the new bill that was meant to shield police from scrutiny sparked heavy criticism and outrage against police brutality in France, especially towards the black and ethnic communities. Opponents of the bill claim that such laws could stop videos, such as the one depicting the assault on Michel Zecler, from being published and brought to public attention in the future.
Protesters on the streets of Paris could be seen carrying slogans saying “smile while you are beaten” and “police state”. The protest quickly escalated and police claim that cars and newspaper kiosks were set on fire. Protesters threw stones at the police who responded by using tear gas and water cannons.
46 000 people were estimated to have participated in Saturday’s protest in Paris and the turnout on Sunday is estimated to be even greater. In the late hours on Saturday the protests turned violent and the Central Bank of Paris was set on fire. Nine people were detained and multiple protesters and police officers were injured in the clashes.