The rally began peacefully but escalated when part of a crowd of several hundred people left Piazza del Nettuno and marched towards Bologna police headquarters and the Prefecture in nearby Piazza Roosevelt.

Protesters threw firecrackers, chairs and other objects at police officers, who responded with batons, tear gas and a water cannon.

The demonstration followed the death of 42-year-old Moroccan-born businessman Abderrahim Fakir in Bologna's Pilastro district on Sunday.

Police had been called to reports of a man behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle. Officers reportedly used pepper spray before handcuffing Fakir and securing his ankles with zip ties before checking his vital signs.

Video recorded by a resident purportedly showed Fakir pinned to the ground shouting, "Help, enough, enough!" before losing consciousness. He was officially pronounced dead at 12:53 p.m. local time. The exact cause of his death has not been established.

Fakir's family distanced themselves from the violence , saying it undermined their efforts to seek accountability.

"Those behaving criminally in Bologna are friends of those who are trying to deny truth and justice for Fakir. The crude and violent exploitation at the end of the demonstration is an attack on the Fakir family, which has repeatedly asked for calm, civility and respect," their lawyer Fabio Anselmo said.

Bologna prosecutors have opened an investigation into the different stages of the police intervention. Two police officers and four medical workers seen in footage from the scene have been included under a special investigative procedure. Authorities said no suspects had been formally identified.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi urged the public not to draw conclusions before the investigation was complete, saying he had full confidence the judicial process would establish exactly what happened.