Rabat – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has taken issue with the protests that erupted in response to the killing of Moroccan man Abderrahim Fakir in Bologna by two police officers, slamming protestors for seeking confrontation instead of justice.
While acknowledging that it is essential that “any potential responsibilities” be established with “the utmost rigor,” Meloni described the protests in Bologna as “unacceptable unrest.”
“Nothing can justify violence against law enforcement officers. Those who chose to use this incident as a pretext to set the city ablaze, attack police officers, and spread violence, also endangering citizens who had nothing to do with the unrest, were not seeking the truth; they were seeking confrontation,” she wrote on X.
Meloni said the truth behind Fakir’s killing “must be fully uncovered, without prejudice and without leniency toward anyone.”
However, she argued, it is an act of grave irresponsibility to fuel a “climate of hatred and delegitimization against an entire state institution.”
The Italian PM concluded: “Turning thousands of women and men in uniform into targets means attacking those who serve Italy every day with professionalism, sacrifice, and courage.” Her remarks come amid backlash involving members of her government, who chose to side with the police officers and medical personnel who were at the scene during the violent and brutal handling of Fakir endured before his killing.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini chose to support the two police officers and the four emergency medical workers who stood by while witnessing the brutality Fakir endured during his fatal arrest.
Read also: ‘Migrants’ Lives Matter’: Tragic Case of Abderrahim Fakir, Whose Pleas for Help Went Unheard
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.
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.”
The killing of Fakir took place on Sunday on the outskirts of Bologna, after police were called by a neighbor following reports that the Moroccan man had allegedly been behaving erratically.
Videos that went viral online documented the violent and fatal handling of Fakir, who was heard pleading for help and calling on the police officers to stop, saying: “Enough.”
Police officers sprayed the victim with pepper spray before forcing him face down onto the ground and securing his hands with zip ties.
An investigation is ongoing, with six people under examination to determine the circumstances surrounding the case. The prosecutor has also ordered an autopsy.
The case has continued to prompt protests in the region, with demonstrators urging the government to hold the officers responsible for the killing rather than treating it as unintentional manslaughter.
