Moroccan man’s death during Italian arrest sparks protests

The death of a Moroccan-born man who became unresponsive while pinned face down by police in Bologna has triggered protests, political confrontation and a formal investigation in Italy after witness video of the arrest spread widely online.

The man, identified by Italian media as 42-year-old Abderrahim Fakir, died Sunday after officers detained him in the northern Italian city. Bologna police said officers had responded to reports of a man behaving erratically and damaging parked cars. Police said Fakir resisted two officers, who used pepper spray in an effort to subdue him.

Videos recorded by witnesses from nearby apartment buildings and broadcast across Italian media show two officers and a third man restraining Fakir on the ground, face down, after he was handcuffed. In the footage, Fakir repeatedly calls for help and pleads for the officers to stop, saying, “help, help, that’s enough,” before falling silent. Emergency medical personnel are visible standing back during the struggle. After Fakir becomes unresponsive, officers finish binding his ankles, and medical workers turn him over and appear to check for vital signs.

Bologna prosecutors have opened an investigation into the circumstances of his death and ordered an autopsy. CBS News reported that such an investigation is standard procedure in Italy when a person dies during a police operation. Investigators are expected to examine whether the restraint contributed to Fakir’s death or whether other factors, including a possible medical emergency or drug intoxication, played a role. Al Jazeera reported that prosecutors have requested bodycam footage from the officers involved under a newly introduced legal procedure.

The two officers involved will continue working during the inquiry, CBS News reported.

The video has drawn outrage across Italy and prompted renewed scrutiny of police tactics, particularly prolonged prone restraint, in which a person is held face down on the ground. Hundreds of people rallied in Bologna on Monday evening, according to Al Jazeera, and demonstrators knelt with raised fists in a gesture associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. Further protests were backed by Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore and major trade unions, Al Jazeera reported. Lepore and the Democratic Party called for people to gather to “ask for truth and justice” over Fakir’s death.

Civil rights advocates and opposition politicians have demanded a full and transparent investigation. “We can’t stay silent in the face of a death of this magnitude, which happened while a man in difficulty was in the hands of the Police,” Annalisa Corrado, a leading figure in the opposition Democratic Party, said in a statement. “We ask for full clarity on the matter: that the ongoing investigations determine what really happened and that all possible responsibilities are ascertained, and that serious work is done on the training of the Police when restraint maneuvers are necessary.”

Matteo Salvini, a deputy prime minister and leader of the right-wing Lega Party, defended the police and urged people not to rush to judgment. “I am counting on the judiciary to clarify the situation as soon as possible, to prevent mud-slinging by people who do not understand what happened and have no respect for those who risk their lives to protect ours,” he said. “Clearly, no one wanted anyone to die.” Al Jazeera reported that Salvini and other government allies praised the officers’ conduct, while opposition figures accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition of fostering a hostile climate. Centre-left legislator Francesco Boccia warned against Italy adopting an “ICE model” of U.S. policing.

Fakir’s family has called for justice. “They killed my brother in cold blood, without pity,” his sister Khadija Fakira wrote on social media. “We want justice for my brother.” One of his brothers told Corriere Della Sera, “My brother had asked for help… and they killed him.” His older brother Mohamad told Italian media Fakir was “a good guy who never hurt anyone, and his death was ignoble.”

Italian media reported that Fakir owned a moving and cleaning business and had employees. Attorney Barbara Spinelli told the ANSA news agency that Fakir, who had lived in Italy since childhood, was “an extremely kind, polite, and respectful person” and had contacted her because he feared deportation, though his documents were in order. “He is the last of my clients for whom I would have imagined such an end,” she said.