Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan-born entrepreneur, died while being restrained by police

Italian police violently clashed with demonstrators in the northern city of Bologna after a Moroccan-born man died on Sunday pleading for help while being restrained by police.

Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan-born entrepreneur who ran a small removals and cleaning business, died after police were called to investigate reports of a man behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle, local media reported.

Video of the incident filmed by a neighbor show Fakir lying face down, repeatedly crying, "aiuto, aiuto, basta" ("help, help, that's enough") as two police officers restrain him. He appears to struggle for breath before becoming motionless.

Thousands protested on Monday night, demanding "justice and truth for Fakir." Police deployed tear gas and water cannon after demonstrators threw firecrackers. A smaller group later clashed with police into the night, leaving 64 officers injured, prosecutors said.

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"You can't die like this," Fakir's sister, Khadija, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. "The police have to protect us. If someone is agitated, you have to calm them down... not kill them like a dog."

Bologna prosecutors have opened a probe and requested the officers' bodycam footage. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Fakir's death must be fully investigated but added that "nothing can justify violence against law enforcement."

The incident has sparked a political row, with opposition parties accusing the government of fostering a climate of hostility toward migrants. Senator Ilaria Cucchi, whose brother died in police custody in 2009, condemned the officers' conduct and criticized expressions of support for police following Fakir's death.

The case has also revived scrutiny of allegations of racial discrimination in Italian policing. In 2024, the Council of Europe's European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) said Italian law enforcement had engaged in racial profiling, particularly targeting Roma communities and people of African descent.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rejected those findings, saying police deserved respect rather than "insults." Other members of her government also dismissed the report. The dispute deepened a broader political debate over institutional racism and policing in Italy.

In Italy, the incident has drawn comparisons to the death of George Floyd, who died in 2020 while being restrained by American police, as well as to the enforcement tactics used by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under President Donald Trump.

(RT.com)