Protests in Bologna after Moroccan man dies in police restraint

Demonstrations have been held in the northern Italian city of Bologna after a Moroccan man died while being restrained by police.

Hundreds rallied on Monday evening amid a fierce political row over the officers’ conduct. The death of Abderrahim Fakir on Sunday has drawn inevitable comparisons to the killing of George Floyd by United States police in Minneapolis in 2020.

Demonstrators knelt with raised fists on Sunday, a gesture associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. Further protests, backed by the city’s mayor and major trade unions, were held on Monday evening.

The 42-year-old Moroccan entrepreneur died when police detained him following reports of aggressive behaviour.

Video of the incident, filmed by a local resident and widely shared online, has prompted demands from opposition figures for accountability. Leaders of the right-wing government have defended the officers involved.

The video shows Fakir face down on the ground as two officers restrain him. He repeatedly calls out “help, help, that’s enough” before falling silent.

Police then bind his ankles and only afterwards check his vital signs.

According to media reports, officers had used pepper spray and held him down while trying to handcuff him after he reacted aggressively.

“My brother had asked for help… and they killed him,” one of Fakir’s brothers told the Corriere Della Sera newspaper.

Bologna prosecutors have opened an inquiry under a newly introduced legal procedure and requested bodycam video from the officers involved.

The far-right Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, and other government allies have praised the officers’ conduct.

Opposition figures have accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition of fostering a climate of hostility.

Centre-left legislator Francesco Boccia warned against Italy adopting an “ICE model” of US policing.