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Rabat – Right-wing Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has sparked backlash for remarks that overlooked a viral video documenting police brutality and a fatal intervention against a 43-year-old Moroccan man who died while pleading for help on Sunday.
The case took place on the outskirts of Bologna, where two police officers were filmed holding Abderrahim Fakir face down on the ground while pinning him and violently holding his hands with zip ties.
The viral video, filmed by a local resident, also shows the man pleading for help before losing consciousness.
In response to the harrowing killing of the Moroccan man, Deputy Prime Minister Salvini chose to back the two police officers and the four emergency medical workers who stood still while witnessing the brutality Fakir endured during his fatal arrest.
While claiming to stand with the victim’s family, Salvini urged them not to speak of revenge, a tone-deaf remark given the circumstances of Fakir’s killing.
“I stand by the two police officers in Bologna and the four emergency medical workers from the 118 ambulance service. And, of course, I also stand with the victim’s family, whom I urge not to speak of revenge,” he said.
He added that he hopes the judiciary clarifies what happened as soon as possible to “prevent mud from being thrown by people who do not understand what occurred and who have no respect for those who risk their lives to protect ours. Clearly, nobody wanted anyone to die,” he claimed.
He also accused Fakir of “behaving violently and causing a disturbance,” stating that the neighborhood where he was killed is home to “many decent people who are tired of living alongside those who make their lives difficult.”
Reports said the intervention came after police were called to the scene following reports that Fakir had allegedly been behaving erratically.
While the victim was not reported to be armed, many said a police vehicle struck him before the violent intervention.
Yet, amid an investigation that has yet to determine all the circumstances of the case, Salvini chose to blame the victim, who remained pinned to the ground with his hands tied by plastic zip ties while two police officers violently handled him as he cried for help and pleaded with them to stop.
Six people are under investigation to determine the circumstances of the case, and an autopsy will be carried out by a panel of forensic experts and specialists to establish the exact cause of death.
Morocco’s Ambassador to Italy, Youssef Balla, said the Moroccan Embassy is following Fakir’s death with the utmost attention.
“At such a painful time, on behalf of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, I wish to express our deepest condolences and our sincere sympathy to the victim’s family. Instructions have been given from the outset to the competent Consulate General of the Kingdom of Morocco to ensure the family receives all the necessary moral support and consular assistance required in such grave circumstances,” the ambassador said.
He added that the embassy has full confidence in Italy’s judicial system to establish complete clarity about what happened, noting that the Consulate General will remain in constant contact with the authorities regarding the investigation.
