Italy is boiling right now, and it is all because of a disturbing video from Bologna.

There is serious tension in Italy at the moment after a Moroccan-born man died while being pinned down by police in Bologna.

Thousands of people poured into the streets on Monday night, shouting justice for Abderrahim Fakir, cbinews.tv reports.

The main protest was actually peaceful, but things later scattered. A smaller group broke off, clashed with police well into the night, and even set two cars ablaze. Prosecutors said 64 police officers were injured in the chaos.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has reacted, saying the truth about his death must be investigated, but nothing can justify attacking law enforcement.

So what happened? Police were called on Sunday morning in the Pilastro area after a neighbour said Fakir was behaving erratically and kicking garage doors. Officers said they tried to calm him down before using pepper spray.

But a video that is now everywhere on Italian media has got people really angry. It shows two policemen sitting on Fakir while he is face down on the ground, crying out for them to stop. A third person who is not a policeman is holding his legs while emergency workers just stand there.

About two minutes into the video, Fakir stops struggling. The officers tie his wrists and ankles, one of them notices he is no longer moving and slaps him twice on the cheek. By the time an ambulance worker finally moves in, it is obvious he is unconscious.

Prosecutors in Bologna have now opened a manslaughter investigation against the officers and the medical workers who were there.

Eyewitnesses told local media that yes, Fakir looked distressed, but he did not threaten anyone and he was clearly unarmed.

His sister Khadija said it straight, "You cannot die like this. They killed him mercilessly, and I want the truth."

Bologna mayor Matteo Lepore said anyone who has watched the video would be shocked. He was the one who called for Monday's demonstration and even brought Fakir's niece on stage.

She said, "He was my uncle. He was not a number, he was not a news line, he was loved. He deserved to be helped and heard, and he deserved dignity."

The mayor later said there were two different protests that night, thousands who came out peacefully for Fakir's family, and a small group who just wanted violence.

The police union, however, is not having it. Its Secretary-General Domenico Pianese criticised the mayor for calling a protest so soon, saying it invited anti-police elements. He even claimed that from the images he saw, the intervention was done correctly.

PM Meloni also condemned the violence, saying, "Those who chose to use this incident as a pretext to set the city ablaze, attack officers, and sow violence were not seeking the truth, they were seeking confrontation."

Fakir's family reportedly arrived in Italy over three decades ago. He lived near Bologna where he ran a small logistics and delivery business.

His lawyer Barbara Spinelli, who was helping him with his residency permit, wrote on Facebook, "He was a hard worker, he was kind. Ask yourselves why he died in the hands of those who had an institutional duty to protect his life."

At the protest, some people carried signs referencing other custody deaths in Italy, like Stefano Cucchi who died in 2009 after six days in police custody.

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