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Fakir death sparks unrest
In Bologna, protests erupted after Abderrahim Fakir, a 42-year-old man of Moroccan origin, died on Sunday while being immobilized and handcuffed by police in via Svevo in the Pilastro district.
“Scontri, vandalismi e un’auto in fiamme: Bologna ha vissuto una notte di tensione”
The violence escalated into clashes and vandalism, with activists throwing objects at the forces of the order, damaging street furniture, overturning sharing bicycles, and setting fire to a Comune car.
The Questura di Bologna said 64 police officers were injured, with prognoses between 3 and 35 days, and it also reported damage to six vehicles of the Polizia di Stato.
A police union account described officers being hit by “enormi pietre, bottiglie di vetro e bombe carta” thrown by “violenti gruppi di antagonisti e anarchici,” while the overall count of injuries among demonstrators was still unclear.
The Procura di Bologna opened an investigation into six people, including two police officers and four 118 ambulance operators, and the case was framed as an inquiry into the circumstances of Fakir’s death and the response that followed.
Meloni and unions trade blame
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the unrest in Bologna, saying that “Quanto accaduto a Bologna è inaccettabile” and adding that nothing could justify violence against the Forze dell’Ordine.
Meloni also accused those who used the incident as a pretext of seeking “lo scontro,” while the BBC reported that the government would launch an immediate investigation and hold owners accountable in a different context, leaving the Bologna case to be handled by prosecutors.
In the protest narrative, the Italian Coordination of Police Officers reported 56 officers injured, while the Questura di Bologna gave a first figure of 64 injured officers with prognoses between 3 and 35 days.
The police union COISP, through its secretary general, said officers were “colpiti da enormi pietre, bottiglie di vetro e bombe carta” during the clashes.
Meanwhile, the Procura di Bologna said the six people in the preliminary register were the two police officers and four ambulance operators, and it said its inquiries would consider the “intero sviluppo dei fatti” beyond the video circulated online.
Bodycam, autopsy, and legal shield
As prosecutors pursued the case, RaiNews said the Procura had opened an inquiry for six people and that it would carry out medico-legal checks to reconstruct the facts, including “l’intervento degli operatori sia delle forze dell’ordine sia del personale sanitario”.
“terranno conto dell'intero sviluppo dei fatti”
RaiNews also reported that an autopsy would be carried out by a pool of specialists, with the task assigned by prosecutor Paolo Guido and pm Domenico Ambrosino, and it said the body had injuries on the head and face that would be examined.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio confirmed that a so-called “legal shield” was activated for six people, including the two officers and four medical workers, and he rejected the idea of immunity in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
Euronews reported that Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said he had “full confidence” the inquiry would establish the facts, while also stating that officers deserve the same “presumption of innocence” as any other citizen.
In parallel, the protests continued to demand “verità e giustizia” and the Pilastro community called for “piena luce” on the events, as the investigation proceeded with bodycam footage and other materials acquired by the judiciary.
