Matteo Lepore says Bologna “had two squares” on Monday — one of peaceful solidarity, the other of violence he says has no place in the city. 64 officers were treated for injuries and Meloni condemns the riots as unjustifiable.
Bologna’s centre-left Mayor Matteo Lepore on Tuesday hit back at criticism over Monday’s riots in the city, which left dozens of police officers injured and caused extensive damage. It followed the death of a Moroccan man restrained by police on Sunday. Centre-right parties have called on Lepore to resign, accusing him of having fuelled violence against law enforcement.
Lepore had organised a demonstration on Monday in Bologna’s Piazza Nettuno demanding the truth about the death of Abderrahim Fakir, which passed off peacefully. But separate protests elsewhere in the city turned violent.
“Bologna had two squares”
In an open letter to the city, Lepore drew a sharp distinction between the two. “Yesterday, Bologna had two squares,” he wrote. “Piazza Nettuno represents Bologna. Thousands of people gathered there to express their solidarity with the family of Abderrahim Fakir peacefully and spontaneously.
“On the other hand, (the protest in) Piazza Roosevelt and the clashes (there) do not represent Bologna. Anyone who thinks they can respond to violence with violence is placing themselves outside the rule of law. And so, they are placing themselves outside our democratic community.”
Calls for resignation from the right
Premier Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI) and Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini’s League both said Lepore bore responsibility for the riots and should step down.
FdI MP Mauro Malaguti was among the sharpest critics. “The urban warfare that paralysed Bologna yesterday, involving damage to property and attacks on police officers amid shouts of ‘murderers’, is a matter of the utmost gravity,” he said. “It is unacceptable that, after the death of Fakir and the ensuing tension, the city’s mayor, Matteo Lepore, chose to organise a public demonstration demanding the ‘truth’ rather than calming the most volatile elements pending an investigation.
“He failed to realise that his decision could effectively be perceived as an indictment of the police. A mayor, who should be the first to ensure peace and security for citizens, needlessly instigated an initiative with consequences that are plain for all to see. He should resign immediately and apologise to the people of Bologna.”
Police union SAP echoed the call, saying Lepore should take full responsibility for what happened.
The scale of the damage
Bologna police said on Tuesday that 64 officers had been injured and six police vehicles were damaged. Shop and bank windows were smashed or covered in graffiti. Dozens of electric bicycles, worth around €30,000 in total, were destroyed after being used by protesters to build barricades. The city council said three of its own vehicles were set alight, along with several dozen dumpsters.
Premier Giorgia Meloni condemned the riots directly on Tuesday. She also stressed that the case surrounding Fakir’s death still demanded a full and rigorous investigation.
“What happened in Bologna is unacceptable,” she wrote on social media. “It is imperative that any responsibility regarding the death of Abderrahim Fakir be investigated with the utmost rigour. The truth must be pursued to the very end, without prejudice and without leniency for anyone.
“But nothing can justify violence against law enforcement. Those who chose to use this incident as a pretext to wreak havoc on the city, attack officers, and sow violence — thereby also endangering the safety of citizens completely uninvolved in the unrest — were not seeking the truth: they were seeking confrontation.
“Fuelling a climate of hatred and delegitimisation toward an entire branch of the State is an act of serious irresponsibility. Turning thousands of men and women in uniform into targets amounts to striking at those who serve Italy every day with professionalism, sacrifice, and courage.”
