Key facts
- Two recent deaths of North African men during police operations in Italy have heightened fears of excessive force and discrimination.
- Abderrahim Fakir died in Bologna after being restrained by police, with footage showing him handcuffed and pinned to the ground.
- Mohamed Amin Bessioud died after jumping from a balcony during a police search in Cosenza.
- Activists and community members state that Arab and North African individuals are increasingly viewed as potential threats under current security policies.
- The incidents have led to protests and calls for accountability, highlighting long-standing issues of policing and discrimination in Italy.
Recent deaths of North African men during police operations in Italy have intensified fears of excessive force, discrimination, and political neglect within Arab communities, sparking protests and raising questions about the country's security policies.
Abderrahim Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan man, died on July 19 after being restrained by police and a civilian in Bologna. Footage appeared to show him handcuffed, sprayed with tear gas, and pinned to the ground for several minutes while calling for help. Italian Red Cross volunteers were present but did not intervene. The public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for manslaughter.
Four days later, Mohamed Amin Bessioud, a 25-year-old Italian-born man of Tunisian parents, died after jumping from a third-floor balcony during a search by Carabinieri in Cosenza. Prosecutors are investigating the circumstances of his death. Activists describe this as another fatal consequence of police violence and targeting of the community.
These incidents have reignited long-standing concerns over policing within Italy's Arab communities, particularly in neighborhoods with large migrant populations. Past cases, including the deaths of Youns El Boussettaoui, Ramy Elgaml, and Abderrahim Mansouri, have profoundly marked the community.
Thousands marched in Bologna demanding justice for Fakir, with protests spreading to other cities. Some clashes occurred between demonstrators and riot police. Bologna's mayor, Matteo Lepore, faced pressure from both sides, with police unions and right-wing politicians accusing him of legitimizing violence against law enforcement, while grassroots organizations criticized his administration for increased policing instead of social investment in neglected neighborhoods.
Commentators argue that security policies, both local and national, increasingly treat working-class districts as public-order problems rather than addressing structural inequalities. Omar Korichi, an Italian-Moroccan trainee lawyer, stated that while laws may not openly declare inequality, they create exceptional categories in the name of security, leading to discrimination against people of Middle Eastern and African origins.
Since 2022, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right government has implemented restrictive decrees, often linked in public debate to Arab and Muslim communities. A recent measure allows officers involved in the Bologna case to bypass standard investigative processes. Emmanuele Jonathan Pilia, editor at D Editore, noted that Italian policing has historically controlled marginalized populations, a logic now increasingly directed towards neighborhoods with Arab, Muslim, and migrant families.
Activists report a growing sense of insecurity and anxiety, with Arab identity increasingly associated with criminality. Rajaa Ibnou, an activist, stated, "After Youns El Boussettaoui was killed, something broke. Many of us realized we were no longer seen first as citizens, but as Arabs." Camilla Ponti, a decolonial psychotherapist, explained that before institutional violence, cultural dehumanization occurs when non-white people are consistently portrayed as dangerous.
The association of solidarity with Palestine with "terrorism" charges for some Arab organizers also highlights the intertwining of security policies, migration, and political dissent.