Italy’s Meloni slams protesters following clashes in Bologna

PM pledges probe into death of Moroccan man under police restraint, condemns violence as protests injure 56 officers.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned demonstrators in Bologna, after protests over the death of a Moroccan man under police restraint left dozens of officers injured.Speaking on Tuesday, the right-wing premier pledged that the death of Abderrahim Fakir would be investigated fairly, but accused overnight protests of seeking “confrontation” rather than “truth”.The 42-year-old Fakir died on Sunday after police were called to deal with a man behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle.protests broke out on Sunday night, and as they resumed on Monday evening in central Bologna, they clashed with police.Demonstrators hurled firecrackers, bottles and chairs at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. The police-officers" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="168807" data-entity-type="organization">Italian Coordination of police Officers reported that 56 officers were injured.“Those who chose to use this incident as a pretext to lay waste to the city, attack officers and spread violence … were not seeking the truth: they were seeking confrontation,” Meloni declared.She added that “any responsibilities” must “be ascertained with the utmost rigour” and that the truth must be pursued “without prejudice and without leniency toward anyone”.A protester kneels, raises a fist and holds a portrait of Abderrahim Fakir during a demonstration in Bologna, Italy, July 20, 2026 [Michele Lapini/Reuters]Footage of Fakir’s final moments, widely shared online, shows him face down while two officers restrain him and he calls for help and says he can not breathe before falling still.