The death of a Moroccan man during a police attempt to arrest him has sparked protests in the northern Italian city of Bologna. The man, named as Abdurrahim Fakir, died after being restrained by officers, in an episode that has quickly become a flashpoint over the use of force and has drawn crowds onto the streets of one of Italy's best-known cities.
The case came to public attention through a video filmed and shared on social media by a local resident. The footage, which lasts more than a minute, shows officers attempting to restrain and handcuff Fakir while he is lying face down on the ground. Reporting on the images, correspondents said one of the officers can be seen punching him several times as the man is held down.
In the recording, Fakir can be heard calling out for help, repeatedly saying that he wants help. According to accounts of the video, he then eventually falls silent and stops moving. It has been suggested that the incident might have gone unnoticed entirely had it not been captured on camera by a passer-by who happened to be watching.
The man's family have made a stark accusation, saying that he was effectively killed by the police in cold blood. Their reaction has fuelled public anger, and once the video began circulating widely online, protesters took to the streets. Reports described violent clashes in the central piazza of Bologna as demonstrators confronted the authorities.
The police have given their own account of events. They say the man was arrested after it was claimed he had been acting aggressively towards another person who was trying to park a car, prompting officers to intervene. According to their version, they tried to restrain him and used pepper spray lawfully, and it was as a result of that restraint that he died. The investigation into exactly what happened is continuing, with authorities awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination.
Officials have called for a rigorous inquiry. In a statement, it was stressed that it is imperative that any potential responsibilities are thoroughly investigated with the utmost rigour, and that the truth must be pursued to the very end, without prejudice and without leniency for anyone. At the same time, the message underlined that nothing can justify violence against law enforcement.
The episode has drawn comparisons that resonate well beyond Italy, with some in the country describing it as Italy's George Floyd moment, a reference to the man whose death in police custody in Minneapolis in 2020 triggered global protests. The Italian authorities reject that characterisation and insist the case will be investigated thoroughly. The key question now is whether the protests continue in Bologna and whether they spread to other parts of the country.