Protesters and police clashed in Bologna, Italy on Monday after Moroccan-born entrepreneur Abderrahim Fakir died while being forcibly restrained by police. Widely shared footage of Fakir's death show police holding the 42-year-old face-down on the ground, where he repeatedly calls for help before falling still.
Issued on: 21/07/2026
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: Seema GUPTA
Cover image: Protesters clash with riot police during a protest following the death of Abderrahim Fakir in Bologna, Italy, July 20, 2026. © Michele Lapini, Reuters
04:36
Italian police clashed with demonstrators in the northern city of Bologna on Monday, ANSA news agency reported, during a protest over the death of a Moroccan man who died while being forcibly restrained by police during an attempted arrest.
Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan-born entrepreneur who ran a small removals and cleaning business, died on Sunday after police were called to deal with a man behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle, Italian media said.
Footage of the incident filmed by a resident and widely shared online prompted hundreds of people to protest. Images posted on social media showed demonstrators holding up slogans such as "Justice and truth for Fakir!" and "State murderers".
04:36
Italian police clashed with demonstrators in the northern city of Bologna on Monday, ANSA news agency reported, during a protest over the death of a Moroccan man who died while being forcibly restrained by police during an attempted arrest.
Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan-born entrepreneur who ran a small removals and cleaning business, died on Sunday after police were called to deal with a man behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle, Italian media said.
Footage of the incident filmed by a resident and widely shared online prompted hundreds of people to protest. Images posted on social media showed demonstrators holding up slogans such as "Justice and truth for Fakir!" and "State murderers".
A protester holds a placard reading in Italian "State murderers" above a crowd during a protest following the death of Abderrahim Fakir in Bologna, Italy, July 20, 2026. © Michele Lapini, Reuters
According to ANSA, some threw a firecracker near police buildings in the city. Police reacted by firing tear gas and water cannons.
ANSA also reported that a group of demonstrators sat down in a square holding a photograph of Fakir, describing the action as a gesture of nonviolent protest.
"The chants of 'police murderers' and 'the whole world hates you,' shouted during a demonstration in Bologna ... are disgraceful," said Tommaso Foti, the European affairs minister in the government of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The video showed Fakir lying face down on the ground while two officers restrained him.
Fakir – who reportedly suffered from heart issues and asthma – repeatedly calls out "aiuto, aiuto, basta" ("help, help, that's enough") as the officers sit on him and ambulance workers look on.
After he stops moving, the police bind his ankles together.
Only after a moment or two do they and the ambulance workers check his vital signs, the video shows.
According to ANSA, some threw a firecracker near police buildings in the city. Police reacted by firing tear gas and water cannons.
ANSA also reported that a group of demonstrators sat down in a square holding a photograph of Fakir, describing the action as a gesture of nonviolent protest.
"The chants of 'police murderers' and 'the whole world hates you,' shouted during a demonstration in Bologna ... are disgraceful," said Tommaso Foti, the European affairs minister in the government of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The video showed Fakir lying face down on the ground while two officers restrained him.
Fakir – who reportedly suffered from heart issues and asthma – repeatedly calls out "aiuto, aiuto, basta" ("help, help, that's enough") as the officers sit on him and ambulance workers look on.
After he stops moving, the police bind his ankles together.
Only after a moment or two do they and the ambulance workers check his vital signs, the video shows.
A protester holds a flare in front of a banner reading in Italian "Justice for Fakir" during a protest following the death of Abderrahim Fakir in Bologna, Italy, July 20, 2026. © Michele Lapini, Reuters
'Killed in cold blood'
The incident drew varied responses from across the political spectrum, with opposition politicians demanding accountability and the governing coalition defending the officers involved.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said he had "full confidence" the inquiry would establish the facts and clarify what happened.
Bologna police said they would give bodycam footage from the officers who intervened to the investigators.
According to media reports, officers called emergency services after arriving in the northeastern neighbourhood of Pilastro shortly after noon, when temperatures exceeded 35°C.
Police tried to calm Fakir before using pepper spray and holding him down while trying to handcuff him after he reacted aggressively, according to media reports.
"They killed my brother in cold blood, I want justice," Fakir's sister, Khadija, told reporters as hundreds of people in Pilastro took to the streets on Sunday, with some demonstrators chanting slogans against the police.
Yossra Fakir, niece of Abderrahim Fakir, reads a statement during a protest following his death in Bologna, Italy, July 20, 2026. © Michele Lapini, Reuters
Lawyer Barbara Spinelli told the ANSA news agency that she had met Fakir last year, when he applied to renew his permit to stay.
He was "a very kind, well educated, respectful person" who was in Italy legally, but who worried about being expelled.
"I told him: 'We are in Italy, a democratic country. Here the police respect the rules'," she said.
"I don't know how I will ever again manage to tell someone they don't need to be afraid", she added.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AFP)
Italy: Protests over death of immigrant in police custody
'Truth and justice for Fakir,' reads one of the protest banners
How have lawmakers responded?
Mayor Matteo Lepore of the center-left Democratic Party (PD) also urged residents to await the full picture, but said you could tell that "something clearly went wrong."
"You cannot die like this," he said, appearing alongside some of Fakir's loved ones. At the same time he expressed his confidence in the rule of law in the city and that the truth would be borne out.
He thanked a niece of Fakir for calling for "respect, truth, and justice, not revenge."
Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also called for the full truth to come to light, but accused online agitators of fomenting "hatred against the police."
Edited by: Rana Taha
Elizabeth Schumacher Elizabeth Schumacher reports on gender equity, immigration, poverty and education in Germany.
DW with local media
21/07/2026
Demonstrators are demanding answers over the death of 42-year-old Abderrahim Fakir. Local authorities have urged calm while the investigation is underway.
Demonstrators are demanding answers over the death of 42-year-old Abderrahim Fakir. Local authorities have urged calm while the investigation is underway.
Image: Nicola Marfisi/AGF/ZUMA/picture alliance
A day after police and protestors clashed in the northern Italian city of Bologna, local authorities on Tuesday urged residents to remain calm and await the results of an official investigation into the death of Abderrahim Fakir.
"They killed my brother in cold blood, I want justice," Fakir's sister Khadija told reporters following his death in the city's Pilastro neighborhood on Sunday.
What do we know about the death of Abderrahim Fakir?
According to Italian media, Fakir came to Italy from Morocco as a child with his family, and they settled in Bologna. He ran a cleaning business and was a legal permanent resident of Italy. He was in Pilastro visiting friends, family members reported.
Bologna Police have said that they were called to the neighborhood on Sunday morning, responding to a call about a man causing damage to a vehicle.
Officers said that it was some 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) when they arrived, and that they tried to subdue Fakir with pepper spray before holding him down and handcuffing him when he continued to be aggressive.
In a video widely circulated online, Fakir can be seen repeatedly calling for help and struggling to breathe before he stops moving. His family told Italian media that he had a history of asthma and heart problems, that he was married and not known to have any previous run-ins with authorities.
Protests in central Bologna
On Monday, a demonstration was held in Bologna's famous Piazza del Nettuno. Italian news agency ANSA reported that some protestors chanted anti-police slogans and one threw a firecracker, but that demonstrators were largely peaceful.
ANSA added police responded with tear gas and water cannons.
Italy's two main police unions have accused activists of using social media to conduct online witch hunts against police based on incomplete footage of the event and said that dozens of officers were injured in clashes with protestors.
Local authorities have urged calm, saying a thorough inquiry is being carried out. Bologna Police have said they plan to release the bodycam footage in full to investigators.
Bologna health authorities have said they are also launching an investigation into how long it took to arrive on the scene.
A day after police and protestors clashed in the northern Italian city of Bologna, local authorities on Tuesday urged residents to remain calm and await the results of an official investigation into the death of Abderrahim Fakir.
"They killed my brother in cold blood, I want justice," Fakir's sister Khadija told reporters following his death in the city's Pilastro neighborhood on Sunday.
What do we know about the death of Abderrahim Fakir?
According to Italian media, Fakir came to Italy from Morocco as a child with his family, and they settled in Bologna. He ran a cleaning business and was a legal permanent resident of Italy. He was in Pilastro visiting friends, family members reported.
Bologna Police have said that they were called to the neighborhood on Sunday morning, responding to a call about a man causing damage to a vehicle.
Officers said that it was some 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) when they arrived, and that they tried to subdue Fakir with pepper spray before holding him down and handcuffing him when he continued to be aggressive.
In a video widely circulated online, Fakir can be seen repeatedly calling for help and struggling to breathe before he stops moving. His family told Italian media that he had a history of asthma and heart problems, that he was married and not known to have any previous run-ins with authorities.
Protests in central Bologna
On Monday, a demonstration was held in Bologna's famous Piazza del Nettuno. Italian news agency ANSA reported that some protestors chanted anti-police slogans and one threw a firecracker, but that demonstrators were largely peaceful.
ANSA added police responded with tear gas and water cannons.
Italy's two main police unions have accused activists of using social media to conduct online witch hunts against police based on incomplete footage of the event and said that dozens of officers were injured in clashes with protestors.
Local authorities have urged calm, saying a thorough inquiry is being carried out. Bologna Police have said they plan to release the bodycam footage in full to investigators.
Bologna health authorities have said they are also launching an investigation into how long it took to arrive on the scene.
Police released smoke canisters to disperse protestors
Image: Michele Lapini/REUTERS
How have lawmakers responded?
Mayor Matteo Lepore of the center-left Democratic Party (PD) also urged residents to await the full picture, but said you could tell that "something clearly went wrong."
"You cannot die like this," he said, appearing alongside some of Fakir's loved ones. At the same time he expressed his confidence in the rule of law in the city and that the truth would be borne out.
He thanked a niece of Fakir for calling for "respect, truth, and justice, not revenge."
Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also called for the full truth to come to light, but accused online agitators of fomenting "hatred against the police."
Edited by: Rana Taha
Elizabeth Schumacher Elizabeth Schumacher reports on gender equity, immigration, poverty and education in Germany.
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