42-year-old Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan died in Bologna on Sunday

Italy has erupted in fury following the death of the Moroccan after police pepper sprayed him, pinned him and zip-tied him as he screamed for help

Harrowing footage showed two police officers holding Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan who ran a small cleaning business in Bologna, down on Sunday, as he screamed in terror

A third person, believed to be a resident of the Pilastro neighborhood, was seen holding his feet down as the two police officers knelt on Fakir’s back, while three other people stood by and watched

Fakir is heard calling for help over and over again, panic rising in his voice, cops reportedly pepper sprayed fakir, as he’s heard begging for water

Struggle continued for several minutes, before Fakir’s body goes limp, then officers tie his feet together 

Footage recorded in Bologna, Italy, on July 19, shows two police officers kneeling on the back of Abderrahim Fakir, who ran a small cleaning business in the city, as he screamed in terror

The death of an immigrant over the weekend, allegedly as a consequence of violent police arrest has Italy erupting in fury. The deceased, identified as Abderrahim Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan, who ran a small cleaning business in Bologna, died in the city on Sunday after he was immobilized face to earth during an arrest on Sunday, July 19. A video filmed by a local resident revives the debate on police methods in the peninsula.
According to local media, Abderrahim Fakir died after police pepper sprayed him, pinned him and zip-tied him as he screamed for help.
Viral footage showed two police officers holding Fakir down as he screamed in terror. A third person, believed to be a resident of the Pilastro neighborhood, was seen holding his feet down as the two police officers knelt on Fakir’s back. Three other people stood by and watched. 
Fakir was heard calling for help over and over again, panic rising in his voice. The officers allegedly pepper sprayed the subject they were holding down who is heard begging for water. 
The struggle continued for several minutes, before Fakir’s body goes limp. Officers were then seen tying his feet together, with the help of a member of the public. 

A third person was seen holding down the feet of the screaming man, as the two police officers knelt on his back. The civilian helper is believed to be a local resident of the Pilastro neighborhood where the incident happened. Fakir expired at the scene

According to local police, officers were called by residents who had ‘reported an angry person… other residents assisted them in containing the individual after a car was damaged.’
They added: ‘After containment operations, which were carried out in the presence of paramedics, the man died.’
Bologna police said bodycam footage of the incident will be made immediately available to judicial authorities. 
In the absence of a medical examiners report local media have published several speculations on Fakir’s cause of death, including his having suffered a severe asthma attack, while others have said he died of cardiac arrest.
As video shows two police officers immobilizing the victim on the ground for several minutes, local prosecutors have ordered an autopsy to determine the man’s cause of death. An investigation has been opened after the death of Fakir during an arrest, with the mayor calling for transparency.
Meanwhile right-wing politicians have defend police officers,
As the investigation into Fakir’s death continues, his family have spoken of their heartbreak and rage following the man’s passing. 
His sister Khadija told local media: ‘I demand justice. I want revenge. I will never find peace until my brother gets justice.
‘We don’t know what happened; we only received a phone call saying he was dead. They handcuffed him, and he died.
‘They attacked him… and they beat him. There are witnesses.’ 

According to the local media reports, officers were responding to calls that a man was seen shouting and behaving erratically. In the absence of a medical examiners report local media have published speculations on cause of death, including severe asthma attack and death by cardiac arrest

Fakir, who lived with his brother, had a history of minor criminal offenses and suffered from underlying health conditions, according to his family. 
Speaking of the officers involved in her brother’s death, she said: ‘If someone is agitated, you have to calm them down.’
The footage prompted hundreds of people to protest and drew responses from across the political spectrum, with opposition politicians demanding accountability and the governing coalition defending the officers involved.
Demonstrators chanting anti-police slogans and knelt with raised fists, adopting a gesture associated with the Black Lives Matter movement that emerged in the United States following the 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 

People gather near the spot where Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan-born entrepreneur who ran a small moving and cleaning business, died on Sunday during an arrest by police with ‘excessive force’ in Bologna, Italy, on July 19

People sit in front of a memorial banner reading ‘Truth and Justice’ at the spot in Bologna, Italy, where Moroccan-born entrepreneur Abderrahim Fakir, died on Sunday during a police arrest

Another protest was due to take place in central Bologna on Monday, backed by centre-left Mayor Matteo Lepore, the Cgil trade union and other left-leaning organizations.
The right-wing League, part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, called for rigorous investigations but said police officers were ‘doing their duty’ as they intervened ‘at the request of exasperated citizens.’
A joint statement from Bologna mayor Matteo Lepore and Michele De Pascale, the president of the Emilia-Romagna region, read: ‘We are deeply shocked by what happened today at Pilastro. 
‘We express our closeness to the family of the deceased and to the entire neighborhood community, who are experiencing hours of great pain and tension. It is essential that full light be shed on the facts. 
‘We trust in the work of the competent institutions to ensure that every circumstance is ascertained with the utmost speed, rigor, and transparency.’