Macron says video of police beating black man 'unacceptable'

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron said the footage of several police officers beating up a black music producer was "unacceptable" and "shameful" for the country.

"The images we have all seen of the aggression against Michel Zecler are unacceptable, they are shameful for all of us," Xinhua news agency quoted the President as saying in a Facebook post on Friday.

"France should never allow violence or brutality, no matter who it comes from. France should never let hate or racism prosper," he added.

The three police officers identified in the video have been suspended and were taken in custody for further investigation, according to the Paris Prosecutor's office.

In a series of tweets also on Friday, Macron said proposals were also needed to fight more effectively against all types of discrimination.

"Those who apply the law must respect the law. I will never accept that the gratuitous violence of some stains the professionalism of the men and women who work courageously to protect us in our daily lives," he said.

On Thursday, Zecler told reporters that he was walking without a facial mask, which was against the country's Covid-19 safety measures, and hid in his studio to avoid fines when a police car appeared.

The police allegedly followed him inside and attacked him.

Zecler said that he was also subjected to racist abuse during the five minute beating, the BBC reported.

A security camera video was published on Thursday by the online news site Loopsider which shows three officers kicking, punching and using their truncheons on the victim after he entered his studio.

The incident has led to fresh scrutiny of the country's security forces.