The death of a 42-year-old Moroccan entrepreneur during a police arrest in Bologna has sparked widespread public outrage, street protests, and an official investigation into six individuals involved in the incident.
Following reports of Fakir’s death during a police operation in Bologna’s Pilastro district, protests in the city center turned violent on Monday evening, Italian media IL FOGLIO reported.
Demonstrators reportedly ripped metal grilles from police armored vehicles, along with stones, glass bottles, and firecrackers, and threw them at officers gathered outside the local prefecture. Riot police responded by using batons, tear gas, and water cannons to break up the crowd.
According to initial emergency service (118) reports cited by IL FOGLIO, 11 people were treated for light injuries, including five police officers and four protesters treated on-site, while two others were briefly hospitalized.
However, Domenico Pianese, general secretary of the Coisp police union, later disputed those figures in statements reported by national outlets. Describing the aftermath as a “war bulletin,” he claimed 56 officers suffered injuries, including 15 from the Padova Mobile Unit, 26 from Florence, and 15 from Bologna, with recovery periods ranging up to 15 days.
Following the violence, Abderrahim Fakir’s family explicitly distanced themselves from the unrest and called for calm. Speaking on their behalf, family lawyer Fabio Anselmo condemned the clashes, according to Italian news agency AGI.
Anselmo stated that those engaging in violence were “friends of those who are trying to deny truth and justice for Fakir,” describing the exploitation of the protest as a direct wound to the family and expressing solidarity with the law enforcement officers involved.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called what happened in Bologna “unacceptable” and demanded that the truth behind Fakir’s death be fully uncovered with maximum rigor and without prejudice.
However, posting on X, Meloni strongly condemned the riots, emphasizing that nothing justifies violence against law enforcement. She stated that those exploiting the incident to attack police officers and destabilize the city were not seeking justice, but rather seeking confrontation, describing the fueling of hatred against state security forces as deeply irresponsible.
Quanto accaduto a Bologna è inaccettabile.
Sul decesso di Abderrahim Fakir è doveroso che vengano accertate eventuali responsabilità con il massimo rigore. La verità va ricercata fino in fondo, senza pregiudizi e senza sconti per nessuno.
Ma nulla può giustificare la violenza…
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) July 21, 2026
Meanwhile, official diplomatic channels are actively monitoring the case. The Moroccan Embassy in Italy confirmed that it is working in close coordination with competent Italian authorities to follow the judicial investigation. The embassy assured that it is providing full consular and legal assistance to Fakir’s family to ensure their legal rights are protected throughout the ongoing procedures.
Legal experts said prosecutors are applying a newly introduced Italian legal procedure, known as “Model 45 bis,” for the first time in this case, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano,
This mechanism, created under a recent national security decree, enables preliminary investigations into officers who may have acted under legally justified conditions without immediately filing criminal charges.
Bologna prosecutors have requested body-camera footage from the officers involved and ordered a comprehensive autopsy to determine whether prolonged prone restraint or other factors directly caused his death.
In Morocco, Fakir’s death sparked widespread reactions on social media after footage of his arrest went viral. Moroccans are sharing videos and messages calling for truth and justice on social media, with many using the slogan “Moroccan Lives Matter” to demand accountability and raise awareness of the treatment of Moroccan citizens abroad.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.