Widespread strikes and violent demonstrations have erupted across Italy following the death of Abderrahim Fakir. The 42-year-old Moroccan-born entrepreneur died in police custody on July 19 in Bologna. His death—captured on a civilian video showing officers pinning him face-down—has sparked immediate international comparisons to the 2020 murder of George Floyd. The unrest directly follows the Meloni administration’s recent passage of a contentious national security bill granting police preemptive detention powers ahead of street protests.
Demonstrations rapidly escalated into physical clashes in Bologna. Protesters threw firecrackers at police lines, and officers retaliated with tear gas and water cannons. Up to 64 officers were injured and multiple vehicles were damaged over consecutive nights of unrest, according to a report by the Washington Post that also detailed the deep political divide and the security legislation triggered by earlier clashes in Turin.
Police initially responded to a call regarding a man acting erratically and damaging vehicles in Bologna’s Pilastro neighborhood. Video footage filmed by a local resident captured the subsequent arrest. The recording shows two officers holding Fakir face-down on the ground while a third individual held his feet. Fakir can be heard pleading “help, help, that’s enough” and stating he could not breathe.
The situation deteriorated on the pavement. The recording reveals the exact timeline of officers binding Fakir’s ankles after he stopped moving. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi later defended the police, urging the public to maintain trust in law enforcement. Officers and standby paramedics eventually checked his vital signs, but Fakir did not survive.
The incident mobilized Italy’s far-left and anti-racism movements overnight. Protesters adopted Black Lives Matter imagery, with crowds kneeling with raised fists. The radical Si Cobas union called a 24-hour strike at Bologna’s Interporto logistics hub, where Fakir operated his business. This strike severely disrupted local freight traffic across the region.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Deputy PM Matteo Salvini defended the professional conduct of the police while condemning the violent factions within the protests. Opposition leaders countered sharply. Elly Schlein of the Democratic Party stated the state had “failed.” Center-left Senator Francesco Boccia warned against Italy adopting a violent “ICE model” of policing. Meanwhile, demonstrators have drawn direct historical parallels to Carlo Giuliani, a 23-year-old anti-capitalist shot dead by police during the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa.
Bologna prosecutors have formally launched an investigation into the police officers and paramedics under a newly introduced legal procedure. Authorities have requisitioned body-camera footage from the involved officers. Protests have now spread to over 10 cities, including Milan and Naples.