Six people, including two police officers and four ambulance workers, are under formal investigation over the death of Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan-born entrepreneur whose fatal restraint by police in Bologna has sparked two nights of street protests and reignited debate over policing in Italy.
Fakir, reported by Italian media as either 42 or 43, died on Sunday in Bologna’s Pilastro district after neighbours called emergency services, saying he was behaving erratically and had struck a police patrol car. Officers used pepper spray before restraining him face down with his wrists and ankles bound.
Amateur video recorded by a resident and widely shared online shows Fakir crying out before falling silent. The footage also appears to show a civilian helping officers hold his legs while ambulance workers stand nearby. His family says he had pre-existing health problems and went into medical distress shortly after being restrained. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
“You can’t die like this,” his sister, Khadija, told Italian media. “They killed him mercilessly, and I want the truth.”
Another sibling told Corriere della Sera that Fakir had pleaded for help before he died.
By the time an ambulance worker reached him, Fakir was unconscious.
Prosecutors in Bologna have opened a manslaughter investigation and appointed a panel of forensic experts to determine the exact cause and timing of his death. A preliminary examination found injuries to his head and face. Investigators are examining whether the restraint contributed to his death or whether other factors, including a possible medical emergency, were involved. The two officers remain on active duty while the investigation continues.
The case has drawn comparisons with the 2020 killing of George Floyd in the United States. Some protesters in Bologna knelt with raised fists, echoing a gesture closely associated with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Two Nights of Unrest
What began as a peaceful vigil on Monday night later descended into clashes between protesters and police.
Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore, who called for the demonstration and invited Fakir’s niece to speak, said he witnessed “two different squares” — thousands who gathered peacefully to support Fakir’s family and a smaller group that “thought it could respond to violence with violence.”
Prosecutors said 64 police officers were injured during the unrest, while around 100 protesters set two cars on fire.
Addressing the crowd, Fakir’s niece, Yossra Fakir, said: “He was my uncle. He wasn’t a number, he wasn’t a news headline. He was loved. He deserved to be helped and heard, and he deserved dignity.”
Hundreds returned for a second night of demonstrations, with some protesters throwing firecrackers as police responded with tear gas and water cannon. Others staged a peaceful sit-in in one of the city’s main squares, displaying a photograph of Fakir as a symbol of nonviolent protest.
Political Divide Deepens
The government’s response has exposed sharp political divisions.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the unrest as “unacceptable,” saying Fakir’s death must be thoroughly investigated but insisting that nothing justified attacks on police officers. She accused those who “set the city ablaze, attacked officers and sowed violence” of using the tragedy to provoke confrontation rather than seek justice.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini took an even harder line, describing the protesters as “thugs” and accusing the political left of encouraging hostility toward police. He said he planned to visit Bologna to show support for the officers involved.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi described Fakir’s death as “a great tragedy” but defended the police response, rejecting suggestions that authorities were shielding the officers under investigation. He also criticised Mayor Lepore, saying it was irresponsible to organise a demonstration that ended in attacks on law enforcement.
Domenico Pianese, secretary-general of the police union, also defended the officers, arguing that the available footage suggested they acted appropriately. He said the use of pepper spray and assistance from a bystander showed the restraint was necessary rather than excessive. He added that officers had already handed all body-camera footage to prosecutors.
Opposition politicians accused the government of rallying behind the police instead of addressing serious questions raised by the case.
Senator Ilaria Cucchi, whose brother Stefano died after six days in police custody in 2009, criticised ministers for expressing solidarity with the officers before the investigation had concluded. Her brother’s case featured prominently on placards carried during the protests.
Francesco Boccia of the centre-left Democratic Party warned, “If the right wants to import the ICE model, this is the wrong country for it.”
Regional Democratic Party secretary Luigi Tosiani also accused the government of deepening political divisions instead of helping ease tensions.
Who Was Abderrahim Fakir?
Italian media report that Fakir’s family moved to Italy more than 30 years ago and settled near Bologna. He later established a small removals and cleaning business in the city.
Barbara Spinelli, the lawyer handling his residency permit application, described him on Facebook as “a hard worker” and “kind,” urging people to ask why he died “in the hands of those who had an institutional duty to protect his life.”
Police have handed body-camera footage from the officers involved to investigators. The findings of the autopsy and the manslaughter investigation are expected to determine the legal consequences of the case and could shape Italy’s broader debate over policing, race and immigration for months to come.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah