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Fakir dies in Bologna
In Bologna, Italy, Abderrahim Fakir, described as a 42-year-old Moroccan entrepreneur, died while being pinned to the ground by police during an arrest after he repeatedly cried “Help, help, that’s enough” before falling silent.
“Police have fired tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators in the northern Italian city of Bologna amid a second night of protests after a Moroccan man died while being arrested”
Muslim Network TV said video footage showed Fakir lying face down as two officers held him to the ground, with the footage appearing to show officers binding his ankles before checking his condition.
The Sun reported that protests erupted after Fakir, who was pepper sprayed and hogtied by Italian cops, died in Bologna on Sunday after police scrambled to reports of the Moroccan man behaving erratically.
The Sun also said prosecutors ordered an autopsy to establish the cause of death, while Bologna prosecutors opened an investigation and requested body camera footage from the officers involved under a newly introduced legal procedure.
Protests and political clash
Demonstrators gathered near the scene in Bologna, with many kneeling and raising their fists in a gesture associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, while additional protests backed by Bologna’s mayor and major labor unions were held the following day.
Muslim Network TV quoted opposition leaders accusing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government of creating a climate that encourages heavy-handed policing and demanded a full investigation into the incident.
Al Jazeera said Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and other allies in Italy’s far-right government praised the officers’ conduct and condemned the protests, while Minister for European Affairs Tommaso Foti called the chants “police murderers'” “disgraceful”.
Al Jazeera also reported that police fired tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators in Bologna amid a second night of protests, as the political row over Fakir’s death continued.
Investigation and what’s at risk
Bologna prosecutors opened an inquiry into Fakir’s death under a newly introduced legal procedure and requested body-camera footage from the officers involved, while the case drew comparisons with the United States police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.
“✕ Home News Analysis Agro-Forestry Art & Culture Technology Economy & Business Education Energy & Extractives Politics Law & Governance Health Science & Environment Social & Gender Sports Transport Urban Development WASH Research LogIn/SignUp Close the sidebar Protests Ignite in Bologna After Man's Death During Police Arrest The death of Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan entrepreneur, during a police arrest in Bologna has sparked widespread protests and calls for accountability”
Türkiye Today reported that prosecutors in Bologna opened a probe and requested the officers’ body cam footage, and it quoted Fakir’s sister Khadija telling Corriere Della Sera daily, “You can't die like this,” as she said “The police have to protect us.”
Il Sole 24 ORE said a police check was taking place in Via Svevo in the Pilastro district of Bologna after residents called 113, and it described that officers sprayed him with pepper spray and restrained him with plastic ties around his wrists.
DIE WELT reported that two police officers are under preliminary investigations for negligent homicide, as are four paramedics who, according to the video, initially only observed the scene, and it said the case has attracted headlines in Italy because of suspicions of excessive police violence.
