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Protesters in Italy clashed with police after a Moroccan immigrant died while being forcibly restrained by two officers.
Several thousand people took to the streets of the northern city of Bologna on Monday night to demand justice for Abderrahim Fakir, 42, who died on Sunday while police held him down.
Bologna prosecutors have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident, which has drawn comparison with the death of George Floyd, who was killed when a Minneapolis police officer pinned him down by the neck in 2020, resulting in widespread Black Lives Matter protests.
Fakir was in the neighbourhood of Pilastro on Sunday morning when police were called by a neighbour who had complained he was “behaving erratically” and kicking garage doors. Witnesses said he was kicking a car and appeared to be in distress but was unarmed.
Officers initially tried to subdue Fakir, who was reportedly suffering from a “psychiatric crisis”, with pepper spray, before pinning him to the ground and handcuffing him.
Footage of Fakir’s last moments, which was captured by a bystander and later shared on social media, shows him lying face down while two police officers squat on his back and a third passerby restrains the man by his feet.
One of the officers is seen holding down Fakir’s head, while Fakir can be heard shouting “help” and “enough” in Italian, before passing out about two minutes into the video. Two medical workers can be seen standing by but not intervening despite the man’s cries for help.
The demonstration in Bologna was largely peaceful but later turned violent, with police firing water cannons and tear gas at a small group of around 100 protesters who threw chairs, bottles and firecrackers and set two cars alight. Prosecutors later said 64 police were hurt in the unrest.
Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, called for an investigation into the man’s death “without prejudice and without leniency for anyone”.
She was also quick to condemn violence against the police, writing on X: “Fomenting an atmosphere of hatred and delegitimisation toward an entire state corps is an act of grave irresponsibility. Turning thousands of uniformed women and men into targets means striking at those who serve Italy every day with professionalism, sacrifice and courage.”
Fakir’s death has also reignited debates in Italy over the use of police force in arrests.
In 2009, Stefano Cucchi died after being beaten while in police custody for drug possession. Two police officers were sentenced to 12 years for the fatal beating.
According to Italian media, Fakir moved from Morocco to Italy as a young child with his family and was a legal resident. He ran a small cleaning business, had a history of asthma and heart problems, and was married.
Fakir’s sister Khadija told Italian outlets: “We want justice for Fakir. They killed him in cold blood. They killed my brother without pity. Without pity. I want truth for my brother.”
Fakir’s niece also spoke to protesters on Monday at the invitation of Matteo Lepore, the Bologna mayor, who organised the rally after saying he was “shocked” by the footage.
“He was my uncle. He wasn’t a number, he wasn’t a news line... he was loved,” Yossra Fakir said. “He deserved to be helped and heard, and he deserved dignity.”
Barbara Spinelli, a lawyer who was helping Fakir renew his residence permit, said though he lived in Italy legally, he was constantly scared of being deported.
“He was a kind, polite, respectful person,” Ms Spinelli told ANSA, an Italian outlet. “He was a hard-working man who cared about his company and his employees.”
