The head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni called on Tuesday to seek “the truth until the end” after the death on Sunday in Bologna (north) of a Moroccan pinned to the ground during an arrest, a tragedy which provoked anger and indignation.
• Also read: Italy: investigation after the death of a Moroccan during an arrest
“It is imperative that possible responsibilities be established with the greatest rigor regarding the death of Abderrahim Fakir. The truth must be sought to the end, without prejudice or complacency for anyone,” wrote the far-right Prime Minister on X, condemning the violence that occurred during a demonstration Monday evening in Bologna.
The city prosecutor opened an investigation on Monday into the death of this 42-year-old man who arrived in Italy at the age of five, who died after being subjected to a ventral tackle for several minutes.
Images taken by a local resident show Abderrahim Fakir begging for help while two police officers immobilize him on the ground under the gaze of several rescuers.
The victim, moaning, then appears inert, face against the asphalt, while the police officers tie him hand and foot. One of them ends up tapping him on the shoulder to check if he is still conscious.
The two police officers and four rescuers are targeted by the investigation opened by the Bologna prosecutor, who ordered an autopsy and must analyze the images from the two police intervention cameras.
The police said they intervened after a report of a man experiencing “violent anger”.
A demonstration brought together several thousand people Monday evening in the center of Bologna, according to images from local media. Clashes broke out with members of the police, leaving 64 of them injured, according to the police headquarters.
The Sky TG24 channel indicates that eleven demonstrators were also injured.
New calls for demonstrations on Tuesday were launched in several other major Italian cities including Milan, Florence and Naples.
The Moroccan ambassador to Italy, Youssef Balla, called on the Moroccan community “not to give in to provocations or attempts to exploit this painful tragedy”, in a press release relayed by the official Moroccan press agency MAP.
He also expressed “his regret at certain public declarations and positions having anticipated the conclusions of the investigation”, while reaffirming “his full respect for the Italian judicial institutions”.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi called for the conclusions of the investigation to be awaited, telling the daily Il Messaggero that “no one is above the law”.
