Demonstrations in Italy after Moroccan man dies in custody | Story

The political anger in Italy after the death in Bologna parallels the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

Demonstrations have taken place in the city of Bologna in northern Italy after a Moroccan man died after being detained by the police.

Hundreds of people protested on Monday evening amid a political debate over the conduct of the police. Abderrahim Fakir’s death on Sunday has drawn inevitable comparisons to the murder of George Floyd and the United States police in Minneapolis in 2020.

Protesters knelt and raised fists on Sunday, associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. Another demonstration, supported by the city’s mayor and major trade unions, took place on Monday evening.

A 42-year-old Moroccan businessman died when police arrested him following reports of abuse.

A video of the incident, filmed by a local man and widely shared online, has sparked a backlash from critics. Right-wing government leaders have defended the officials involved.

The video shows Fakir looking down as two policemen stop him. He repeatedly shouts “help, help, enough” before falling silent.

The police then tied his ankles and later checked his vital signs.

According to media reports, the police used pepper spray and held him down while trying to handcuff him after he reacted aggressively.

“My brother asked for help… and they killed him,” one of Fakir’s brothers told Corriere Della Sera newspaper.

Bologna prosecutors have opened an investigation under the newly established legal process and have requested bodycam video from the officers involved.

The right-wing Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, and other government agencies have praised the actions of the police.

Critics have accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition of inciting hatred.

Far-left lawmaker Francesco Boccia warned that Italy should adopt the “ICE model” of the US police.