BOLOGNA, ITALY: ABDERRAHIM FAKIR KILLED IN POLICE CUSTODY
- Michael Thervil
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
Written by Michael Thervil
[Bologna Italy Abderrahim Fakir police] In the Pilastro neighbourhood in the northern Italian City of Bologna, Italian police clashed with hundreds of protestors and demonstrators who took issue with the death of 42-year-old Abderrahim Fakir, an entrepreneur of Moroccan descent over the weekend. It was reported that Abderrahim Fakir while being restrained by police was pleading for assistance due what has been deemed a fatal encounter with police as they were responding to a “man behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle”. Abderrahim Fakir owned a small cleaning business. During the deadly encounter with police, witnesses reported to the local Press that they heard Abderrahim Fakir pleading with police loudly calling for assistance screaming “help, that’s enough” as he appeared tormented and in pain during the encounter. It was just after those moments when he was seen by bystanders taking his last breath and collapsing while police were attempting to restrain him.
Responding Police officers stated that Abderrahim Fakir who was a permanent resident resisted officers and had to be pepper sprayed in order to control him. Early into the late hours of Monday, protests erupted and spread like wildfire across the city with thousands of protestors and demonstrators screaming “justice and truth for Fakir” as they became even more unruly leading police to deploy teargas, water cannons, and other non-lethal means of force in an attempt to subdue the protestors and demonstrators. The encounter with the angry crowd of protestors left a total of 64 police officers injured. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed the public by stating that the death of Abderrahim Fakir as “unacceptable” and his death “must be fully investigated”. She followed up her statement by saying “nothing can justify violence against law enforcement.”
While people are demanding to view police body camera footage, police have been slow to fulfill the wishes of the public. Video footage from locals showed many detractors of the recent police actions are making claims that racism and systematic discrimination practices against immigrants into Italy played a role in the untimely death of Abderrahim Fakir. What's fueling these claims is the fact that Abderrahim Fakir wouldn’t be the first immigrant to die while in police custody as several died before him. To date, Abderrahim Fakir had no criminal record in Italy and was described as a “polite and peaceful person”. It was also reported that Abderrahim Fakir did suffer from heart problems, asthma, and mental health issues before his encounter with police.
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