Rome, July 20 (dpa/GNA) – Italian authorities on Monday pledged a full investigation into the death of a 42-year-old Moroccan man, during a police operation in the northern city of Bologna over the weekend.
The Interior Ministry in Rome said it would ensure “complete transparency.” The man, who had lived in Italy for more than 30 years and owned a small cleaning company, was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by two police officers on Sunday. Although he repeatedly cried out for help, the officers continued to restrain him. He later died.
The incident has attracted widespread media attention. The entire episode was captured by a local resident in a video lasting more than five minutes. Many have criticized the police, including members of the left-wing opposition.
Ppoliticians from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing governing coalition, have on the other hand defended the officers. The governing Lega party said the officers had simply carried out their “duty.”
Investigators hope an autopsy will clarify the cause of death, including whether he may have had any pre-existing medical conditions. Authorities also said the body camera worn by one of the officers involved, had been handed over to prosecutors. No information has yet been released regarding possible disciplinary action against the officers.
Police were called to Bologna’s Pilastro district around Sunday midday, after neighbours reported that a man was behaving aggressively.
The ANSA news agency reported that he struck a patrol car, when officers arrived. They pepper-sprayed and handcuffed him. In the video, the man can be heard shouting from the ground, “Aiuto. Basta, basta!” (“Help! Enough, enough!”). Despite his pleas, the uniformed officers continued restraining him. A third man in civilian clothes is seen holding the man’s ankles.
Two paramedics are visible in the footage but do not intervene. After several minutes, the man stops moving. A neighbour filmed the video from a window. It was unclear what had led to the trouble in Pilastro. The man had reportedly been visiting relatives, as he did regularly.
A row had allegedly broken out in front of a garage. Police reportedly called the emergency services because the man showed signs of a psychiatric crisis.
The public prosecutor’s office has not yet decided whether to investigate unknown persons or specifically the two officers – and possibly also the paramedics, since they took no action. However, preliminary investigations are already under way against the two police officers on charges of manslaughter, as well as against a total of four paramedics.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement, “There is nothing to hide; full cooperation with the investigators.” In Bologna, a traditionally left-wing city, several hundred people gathered for protests on Sunday, with chants against the police and calls for justice, as well as talk of “assassinio di stato” (“state murder”).
The deceased man’s sister said, “I will not rest until my brother has been avenged. They beat him and killed him.”
Bologna mayor Matteo Lepore called for a silent vigil on Monday evening. In Rome, the government is facing demands from the left of the political spectrum to provide information in parliament. The police are being defended by the right-wing camp, where calls for a tough stance against immigrants are frequent.
Meloni, who is usually quick to praise the police, refrained in the first 24 hours from making any public statements on the case.
GNA