DUBAI: Clashes broke out in Bologna on Monday after protests over the death of Moroccan-born man Abderrahim Fakir during a police intervention, with Italian authorities facing calls for accountability over both the incident and the unrest that followed.
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that a demonstration held after Fakir’s death descended into violence, with clashes reported in the city center. The Autonomous Police Union (SAP) said more than 50 officers were injured during the unrest.
“Mayor Matteo Lepore must take full responsibility for the devastation and the more than 50 injured among the police,” SAP Secretary-General Stefano Paoloni said, criticizing the decision to organize the demonstration.
Paoloni said the public’s grief over Fakir’s death was understandable but warned against actions that could fuel hostility toward police.
The protests followed the death of Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan-born entrepreneur who ran a removals and cleaning business, during a police intervention in Bologna’s Pilastro district on Sunday.
Footage filmed by a resident and widely shared online showed Fakir lying face down on the ground while two officers restrained him. He could be heard calling for help and struggling before becoming unresponsive.
Italian media reported that police had been called after concerns over Fakir’s behaviour and that officers used pepper spray before restraining him. He was pronounced dead at 12:53 p.m., according to Corriere della Sera.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, speaking to Corriere della Sera, defended Italian law enforcement practices, rejecting comparisons with the US approach to policing.
Asked whether Italian police were moving toward a model similar to US immigration enforcement agency ICE, Nordio said the systems were “very different,” adding that Italian officers had traditionally exercised caution in the use of force.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into Fakir’s death, while Bologna police said body-camera footage from officers involved would be provided to investigators.
