Rabat demands probe after Moroccan man dies during Italian police arrest
Morocco has demanded a thorough investigation after one of its nationals died while being restrained by police in the northern Italian city of Bologna.
Abderrahim Fakir, 42, died on Sunday after officers were called to the city’s Pilastro neighborhood over reports that a man was behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle. Police reportedly used pepper spray before holding him face down while attempting to handcuff him.
Morocco is following the case with “deep concern” and has asked the Italian authorities to establish responsibility and fully apply the required legal procedures, the North African nation’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
“Moroccan authorities will continue to closely follow this issue as part of their ongoing commitment to protecting the interests of Moroccan expatriates,” the ministry said in a statement.
A video circulating in Italian media shows Fakir calling for help and shouting “that’s enough” as two officers restrain him on the ground and a civilian holds his legs. He appears to struggle for breath before becoming motionless.
Bologna prosecutors have opened a preliminary inquiry on the two police officers and four emergency workers present during the incident, local media reported.
Fakir lived in Italy since childhood and operated a small removals and cleaning business, according to media reports. His relatives said he suffered from asthma and heart problems and demanded justice for his death.
The incident triggered demonstrations in Bologna on Monday. Some protesters threw bottles, chairs, and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. A police union said 56 officers were injured.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has backed a full investigation into Fakir’s death, saying any responsibility must be established “with the utmost rigor.” She also condemned the violence during the subsequent demonstration, stating that “nothing can justify violence against law enforcement.”
The incident has drawn comparisons to the 2020 killing of George Floyd in the US, an African American man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest.
Italian law enforcement has long faced allegations of racial profiling. Following a 2024 mission to the country, UN experts said they heard testimony that race was used as a basis for identity checks and searches, creating “harmful and spurious associations of Blackness with criminality and delinquency.” A Council of Europe report that same year raised similar concerns, particularly regarding Roma people and people of African descent. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rejected the findings, saying the police force “deserves respect” and insisting that officers protect citizens “without distinctions.”
