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.
