Demonstrations have taken place in the northern Italian city of Bologna following the death of 42-year-old Moroccan entrepreneur Abderrahim Fakir while being restrained by police on Sunday, July 19th, 2026. Fakir died after police detained him amid reports of aggressive behavior. Video footage of the incident, recorded by a local resident and widely circulated online, shows Fakir repeatedly calling out “help, help, that’s enough” before falling silent. Media reports indicate that officers used pepper spray and held him down while attempting to handcuff him after he reacted aggressively.

The incident has provoked outrage across Italy’s political spectrum and drawn comparisons to the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, United States, in 2020. On Sunday, demonstrators knelt with raised fists, a gesture associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. Further protests, supported by Bologna’s mayor and major trade unions, were held on Monday evening, July 20th, 2026, with hundreds rallying amid a fierce political debate over the conduct of the officers involved.

The death of Fakir and the ensuing protests highlight ongoing concerns about police restraint methods and accountability in Italy.

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