Protests and clashes between demonstrators and police broke out yesterday in Bologna after a man of Moroccan origin died at the hands of police on Saturday. Protesters are demanding justice and chanted slogans against the police.
The man, named Abderrahim Fakir, is seen in video footage lying on the ground and, because of the officers’ actions, repeatedly calling for help and struggling to breathe before eventually losing consciousness.
Abderrahim Fakir was a businessman who ran a small removals and cleaning company in the area. According to Italian media cited by Reuters, police were called to deal with a man who was allegedly behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle.
Protesters knelt with raised fists, a gesture associated with the Black Lives Matter movement in the USA following the killing of George Floyd by a police officer.
The right-wing League party, which is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, called for a strict and thorough investigation, but argued that the officers “did their duty,” as they intervened “following a request from outraged citizens.”
Bologna police said they would hand over body-camera footage from the officers involved to investigators.
“They killed my brother in cold blood. I want justice,” Fakir’s sister, Khadija, told reporters, as hundreds of people took to the streets of Pilastro on Sunday.
Sources: Reuters [1], [2], Sky News
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