Violent protests erupted in Bologna following the death of Abderrahim Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan man who died after being restrained by police officers in the working-class Pilastro district. Fakir, who reportedly was experiencing a psychiatric crisis, confronted a man parking a car outside the residential tower where his sister lived on Sunday. When police arrived, Fakir allegedly behaved aggressively and kicked a police vehicle. Officers subdued him using pepper spray and pinned him face-down on the ground. Video footage taken by a local resident shows two officers sitting on Fakir while a third person, not in uniform, held his legs. During the restraint, Fakir can be heard struggling to breathe and calling out, before becoming motionless. Paramedics declared him unconscious, and police later confirmed he died during the restraint.
Fakir had lived in Italy since childhood and was a legal resident at the time of his death. His family and locals have drawn parallels to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, where police restraint similarly led to public outcry and worldwide protests. Residents of Pilastro expressed frustration over what they described as routine police violence, with some warning that underlying tensions could escalate further.
On Monday evening, a demonstration organized by Bologna’s centre-left mayor Matteo Lepore, intended as a peaceful protest attended by Fakir’s relatives and supporters, turned violent. Around 100 demonstrators clashed with riot police near the city hall and a police headquarters. Protesters threw bottles, chairs, and bicycles, while officers responded with water cannons and tear gas. More than 60 police personnel were reported injured. Several vehicles were damaged or set on fire amid the unrest.
Authorities and political figures have taken differing stances on the events. Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister and leader of the right-wing government, condemned the destruction caused by the rioters, describing the scenes as “laying waste to the city.” Matteo Salvini, transport minister and head of the hard-right League party, accused Mayor Lepore of orchestrating a “demonstration against police.” Some critics have highlighted recent government policies expanding law enforcement powers, including a legal provision known as the “shield” that enables prosecutors to assess whether public officials’ actions were justified before opening criminal investigations. This provision is expected to apply to the officers and healthcare workers present at Fakir’s death.
Fakir’s niece, Yossra Fakir, expressed sorrow over the death and read a statement during the protest but later condemned the violence that followed. Local residents noted that anger had exploded in the wake of Fakir’s death, fueling comparisons to past incidents of police brutality elsewhere. The mayor, Matteo Lepore, has faced calls for resignation amid the political and social fallout from the incident and the subsequent unrest.