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Moroccan-born local businessman dies after being pepper sprayed, pinned down and zip-tied by police in Bologna, while screaming ‘help’ – sparking public outrage

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"109460728"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a0909&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>42-year-old Abderrahim Fakir&comma; a Moroccan died in Bologna on Sunday <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a0909&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Italy has erupted in fury following the death of the Moroccan after police pepper sprayed him&comma; pinned him and zip-tied him as he screamed for help <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a0909&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Harrowing footage showed two police officers holding Abderrahim Fakir&comma; a Moroccan who ran a small cleaning business in Bologna&comma; down on Sunday&comma; as he screamed in terror <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a0909&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>A third person&comma; believed to be a resident of the Pilastro neighborhood&comma; was seen holding his feet down as the two police officers knelt on Fakir&&num;8217&semi;s back&comma; while three other people stood by and watched <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a0909&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Fakir is heard calling for help over and over again&comma; panic rising in his voice&comma; cops reportedly pepper sprayed fakir&comma; as he&&num;8217&semi;s heard begging for water <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2a0909&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Struggle continued for several minutes&comma; before Fakir&&num;8217&semi;s body goes limp&comma; then officers tie his feet together <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;i&period;dailymail&period;com&sol;1s&sol;2026&sol;07&sol;20&sol;11&sol;110132709-15990197-Harrowing&lowbar;footage&lowbar;showed&lowbar;two&lowbar;police&lowbar;officers&lowbar;holding&lowbar;the&lowbar;man&lowbar;who-m-19&lowbar;1784543716865&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Harrowing footage showed two police officers holding the man&comma; who ran a small cleaning business in the city&comma; down as he screamed in terror" style&equals;"width&colon;794px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Footage recorded in Bologna&comma; Italy&comma; on July 19&comma; shows two police officers kneeling on the back of <strong>Abderrahim Fakir&comma;<&sol;strong> who ran a small cleaning business in the city&comma; as he screamed in terror<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The death of an immigrant over the weekend&comma; allegedly as a consequence of violent police arrest has Italy erupting in fury&period; The deceased&comma; identified as Abderrahim Fakir&comma; a 42-year-old Moroccan&comma; who ran a small cleaning business in Bologna&comma; died in the city on Sunday after he was immobilized face to earth during an arrest on Sunday&comma; July 19&period; A video filmed by a local resident revives the debate on police methods in the peninsula&period;<br>According to local media&comma; Abderrahim Fakir died after police pepper sprayed him&comma; pinned him and zip-tied him as he screamed for help&period;<br>Viral footage showed two police officers holding Fakir down as he screamed in terror&period; A third person&comma; believed to be a resident of the Pilastro neighborhood&comma; was seen holding his feet down as the two police officers knelt on Fakir&&num;8217&semi;s back&period; Three other people stood by and watched&period; <br>Fakir was heard calling for help over and over again&comma; panic rising in his voice&period; The officers allegedly pepper sprayed the subject they were holding down who is heard begging for water&period; <br>The struggle continued for several minutes&comma; before Fakir&&num;8217&semi;s body goes limp&period; Officers were then seen tying his feet together&comma; with the help of a member of the public&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2026&sol;07&sol;Italian-cops-hold-down-Abderrahim-Fakir-who-died-after-violent-arrest-3&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-500791" style&equals;"aspect-ratio&colon;1&period;0375099929035874&semi;width&colon;838px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>A third person was seen holding down the feet of the screaming man&comma; as the two police officers knelt on his back&period; The civilian helper is believed to be a local resident of the Pilastro neighborhood where the incident happened&period; Fakir expired at the scene<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">According to local police&comma; officers were called by residents who had &&num;8216&semi;reported an angry person&&num;8230&semi; other residents assisted them in containing the individual after a car was damaged&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>They added&colon; &&num;8216&semi;After containment operations&comma; which were carried out in the presence of paramedics&comma; the man died&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>Bologna police said bodycam footage of the incident will be made immediately available to judicial authorities&period; <br>In the absence of a medical examiners report local media have published several speculations on Fakir&&num;8217&semi;s cause of death&comma; including his having suffered a severe asthma attack&comma; while others have said he died of cardiac arrest&period;<br>As video shows two police officers immobilizing the victim on the ground for several minutes&comma; local prosecutors have ordered an autopsy to determine the man&&num;8217&semi;s cause of death&period; An investigation has been opened after the death of Fakir during an arrest&comma; with the mayor calling for transparency&period;<br>Meanwhile right-wing politicians have defend police officers&comma; <br>As the investigation into Fakir&&num;8217&semi;s death continues&comma; his family have spoken of their heartbreak and rage following the man&&num;8217&semi;s passing&period; <br>His sister Khadija told local media&colon; &&num;8216&semi;I demand justice&period; I want revenge&period; I will never find peace until my brother gets justice&period;<br>&&num;8216&semi;We don&&num;8217&semi;t know what happened&semi; we only received a phone call saying he was dead&period; They handcuffed him&comma; and he died&period; <br>&&num;8216&semi;They attacked him&&num;8230&semi; and they beat him&period; There are witnesses&period;&&num;8217&semi; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2026&sol;07&sol;Italian-cops-hold-down-Abderrahim-Fakir-who-died-after-violent-arrest-2&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-500792" style&equals;"aspect-ratio&colon;0&period;7776039678752341&semi;width&colon;840px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>According to the local media reports&comma; officers were responding to calls that a man was seen shouting and behaving erratically<&sol;strong>&period; <strong>In the absence of a medical examiners report local media have published speculations on cause of death&comma; including severe asthma attack and death by cardiac arrest<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Fakir&comma; who lived with his brother&comma; had a history of minor criminal offenses and suffered from underlying health conditions&comma; according to his family&period; <br>Speaking of the officers involved in her brother&&num;8217&semi;s death&comma; she said&colon; &&num;8216&semi;If someone is agitated&comma; you have to calm them down&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>The footage prompted hundreds of people to protest and drew responses from across the political spectrum&comma; with opposition politicians demanding accountability and the governing coalition defending the officers involved&period;<br>Demonstrators chanting anti-police slogans and knelt with raised fists&comma; 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&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2026&sol;07&sol;Scene-where-Abderrahim-Fakir-died-after-a-violent-by-police-in-Bologna-Italy-July-19-2026-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-500789" style&equals;"aspect-ratio&colon;1&period;5661103790682747&semi;width&colon;840px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>People gather near the spot where Abderrahim Fakir&comma; a Moroccan-born entrepreneur who ran a small moving and cleaning business&comma; died on Sunday during an arrest by police with &&num;8216&semi;excessive force&&num;8217&semi; in Bologna&comma; Italy&comma; on July 19<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2026&sol;07&sol;Memorial-at-scene-where-Abderrahim-Fakir-died-after-a-violent-by-police-in-Bologna-Italy-July-19-2026-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-500788" style&equals;"aspect-ratio&colon;1&period;5465826305642434&semi;width&colon;818px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>People sit in front of a memorial banner reading &&num;8216&semi;Truth and Justice&&num;8217&semi; at the spot <strong>in Bologna&comma; Italy<&sol;strong>&comma; where Moroccan-born entrepreneur <strong>Abderrahim Fakir&comma;<&sol;strong> died on Sunday during a police arrest <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Another protest was due to take place in central Bologna on Monday&comma; backed by centre-left Mayor Matteo Lepore&comma; the Cgil trade union and other left-leaning organizations&period;<br>The right-wing League&comma; part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni&&num;8217&semi;s government&comma; called for rigorous investigations but said police officers were &&num;8216&semi;doing their duty&&num;8217&semi; as they intervened &&num;8216&semi;at the request of exasperated citizens&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>A joint statement from Bologna mayor Matteo Lepore and Michele De Pascale&comma; the president of the Emilia-Romagna region&comma; read&colon; &&num;8216&semi;We are deeply shocked by what happened today at Pilastro&period; <br>&&num;8216&semi;We express our closeness to the family of the deceased and to the entire neighborhood community&comma; who are experiencing hours of great pain and tension&period; It is essential that full light be shed on the facts&period; <br>&&num;8216&semi;We trust in the work of the competent institutions to ensure that every circumstance is ascertained with the utmost speed&comma; rigor&comma; and transparency&period;&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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