On a Sunday night in Bologna, a 42-year-old Moroccan man named Abderrahim Fakir died while being held down by police, and a city that had watched the footage of his last words found its grief turning into street anger. The wider country now finds itself asking an old and uncomfortable question: how much force is justified in the act of restraint, and who answers when a person who said he could not breathe stops breathing. A prosecutor's inquiry has begun, and the political struggle over policing, immigration and public order has begun alongside it, as if the nation were trying to read the same
Meloni Condemns Bologna Protesters as Police Face 56 Injuries After Moroccan Man's Death in Custody
Abderrahim Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan man, died after police restraint, and 56 police officers were injured in the ensuing Bologna protests.
He calls for help and says he cannot breathe before falling still.
Mark
Why has this case gripped Italy so quickly?
Mimi
The video. Fakir is face down, two officers are restraining him, he says he can't breathe, and then he goes still. People have compared it to George Floyd.
Luke
That's a comparison people are making, not a finding. The footage is what's been shared, but the investigation hasn't established what happened or who is responsible.
Mark
What did Meloni actually say?
Mimi
Two things. She promised a rigorous, impartial inquiry with no leniency toward anyone. And she said the people who attacked officers wanted confrontation, not truth.
Mark
And the injuries to police?
Mimi
Fifty-six officers, after firecrackers, bottles and chairs were thrown. Police used tear gas and water cannons.
Luke
Worth noting that 56 is the figure from the Italian Coordination of Police Officers. We don't have an independent count, or a breakdown of how serious the injuries were.
Mark
Where does the political fight stand?
Mimi
Governing coalition members defend the officers. Piantedosi asks for the presumption of innocence for them. The opposition says government policies promote violence, and Boccia warned against an 'ICE model.'
Luke
Those are political positions. The facts of the arrest are still with the prosecutors.
Mark
What do we know about Fakir?
Mimi
Lawyer Barbara Spinelli met him last year over his residency renewal. She described him as kind, well-educated and respectful, and said he feared being expelled despite living in Italy legally.
El Pulso
- A short video of Fakir pleading that he cannot breathe spread quickly, and its final stillness turned a local death into a national reckoning.
- Anger in Bologna boiled over on a second night, with fireworks, bottles and chairs flying toward police lines.
- Officers answered with tear gas and water cannons, and 56 of them were reported injured, deepening the sense of a city at war with itself.
- Prime Minister Meloni promised a rigorous inquiry while condemning those she said were using grief as cover for destruction.
- Prosecutors have opened an investigation, and the debate over an 'ICE model' of policing is pulling the case into the heart of Italian politics.
On a Sunday night in Bologna, a 42-year-old Moroccan man named Abderrahim Fakir died while being held down by police, and a city that had watched the footage of his last words found its grief turning into street anger. The wider country now finds itself asking an old and uncomfortable question: how much force is justified in the act of restraint, and who answers when a person who said he could not breathe stops breathing. A prosecutor's inquiry has begun, and the political struggle over policing, immigration and public order has begun alongside it, as if the nation were trying to read the same few minutes of video in many different ways.
On Sunday night in Bologna, police were called to a man who was behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle. During that encounter, Abderrahim Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan man, died while under police restraint. Footage later circulated widely, showing him face down with two officers holding him, calling out that he could not breathe before falling still. The images quickly drew comparisons to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.
Protests began that night and grew into a second night of unrest. On Monday evening, crowds in central Bologna threw firecrackers, bottles and chairs at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. The Italian Coordination of Police Officers reported that 56 officers were injured.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni promised that the death would be investigated fairly and with the utmost rigour, but she denounced those who she said were using the tragedy as a pretext for destruction and confrontation. Prosecutors have opened an inquiry, and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi expressed confidence in its findings while insisting the officers deserve the presumption of innocence.
The case has split Italian politics. Governing right-wing figures defended the officers, while opposition politicians blamed government policy for fuelling violence. Francesco Boccia warned against adopting an 'ICE model' of policing, a reference to the US agency involved in killings of protesters.
Amid the argument, a more personal portrait of Fakir has emerged. Lawyer Barbara Spinelli, who met him last year when he sought to renew his residency permit, described him as kind, well-educated and respectful, and said he had feared expulsion despite living in Italy legally. The inquiry will now determine what happened during the restraint and who, if anyone, is responsible.
On Monday evening, protesters gathered again in central Bologna. By then a second night of unrest was under way, and it ended with firecrackers, bottles and chairs thrown at police. Officers answered with tear gas and water cannons. The Italian Coordination of Police Officers said 56 officers were injured.
The protests began on Sunday night, after the death of Abderrahim Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan man. Police had been called to deal with a man described as behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle. Fakir died during that encounter, while under police restraint.
Footage of his final moments has been widely shared online. It shows him face down on the ground while two officers hold him. He calls for help and says he cannot breathe, then falls still. The video has drawn comparisons to the 2020 killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed the unrest. She said Fakir's death would be investigated fairly and that any responsibilities must be ascertained with the utmost rigour, with the truth pursued without prejudice and without leniency toward anyone. But she was sharp about the protesters. Those who used the incident as a pretext to lay waste to the city and attack officers, she said, were not seeking truth but confrontation.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation, and the case has revived a debate in Italy over the use of force during arrests. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told the daily Il Messaggero that he had full confidence the inquiry would establish the facts. He added that the officers involved deserve the same presumption of innocence as any other citizen.
The reaction has cut across the political spectrum. Members of the populist right-wing governing coalition have defended the officers. Opposition politicians have criticised the government's handling of the incident and argued that its policies encourage violence. Francesco Boccia, a centre-left legislator, warned against Italy adopting an "ICE model" of policing. He was referring to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which has been involved in several killings of protesters.
A picture of Fakir himself has begun to emerge. Lawyer Barbara Spinelli met him last year, when he applied to renew his residency permit. She told the ANSA news agency that he was a very kind, well-educated, respectful person. She said he had worried about being expelled from Italy even though he was living there legally.
The prosecutors' inquiry is now the central question. It will determine what happened during the restraint and who, if anyone, bears responsibility. Meanwhile the argument over police force, and over the protests that followed, continues in Italian politics.
Citas Notables
Those who used this incident as a pretext to lay waste to the city were not seeking the truth: they were seeking confrontation.— Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Officers deserve the same presumption of innocence as any other citizen.— Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, to Il Messaggero
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