“I’m still not well, I’m in hospital and I had x-rays.” The 23-year-old Guinean explained that he was arrested yesterday by the Carabinieri in Modena and that he was punched by a Carabinieri officer during the arrest.
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Part of the intervention was captured on video by a passerby. The young man works as a kitchen assistant. “They didn't listen to me when I told them I wanted to call a friend for the documents, but they started beating me and wanted to throw me into the car.", It reaffirmed.
“I want to report it. They beat me for no reason, I didn’t do anything. Yesterday morning I was waiting for the bus – he says – the police asked me for my documents and I didn’t have them. I explained that I could call a friend of mine who would bring them to me. But they wanted to throw me in the car. I work, I’ve never done anything wrong”.
“Pending further investigation of the entire affair, the two soldiers have been temporarily re-employed in other roles”. This is what we read in a statement from the Modena Carabinieri regarding the video that has gone viral in which a carabiniere slaps and punches a black man while trying to get him into the service car.
The images that went viral “they were partially videotaped by a citizen and posted on social networks. The multimedia material was acquired by the Carabinieri of Modena and sent to the Public Prosecutor's Office for the relevant assessments”, reads the note.
“The Carabinieri of the Radiomobile of Modena intervened in Largo Garibaldi, where a man of unspecified nationality was standing near the entrance of the Storchi theatre with caution. On that occasion, the man refused to provide his personal details and to show any documents, forcing the officers to accompany him to the barracks for photo-signalling operations and the consequent arrest for resisting a public official and damage.
During the intervention, the man repeatedly hit the company car. Following the direct trial, with validation of the arrest, the man was released pending the next hearing”, the carabinieri further explain.
The 23-year-old Guinean beaten by the Carabinieri in Modena: his words and the different versions
The young man denies having resisted and claims that he was beaten for no reason.
He said he asked to call a friend for the documents, but the police allegedly loaded him into the car by force.
The video of the arrest went viral and sparked controversy.
The police say the young man refused to provide his personal details and damaged the company car.
The 23-year-old was arrested for resisting a public official and criminal damage, but was released pending trial.
The owner of the restaurant where he works defends him and says that he is a good boy and a model worker.
The young man arrived in Italy seven years ago as an unaccompanied minor and was granted international protection. The hearing to validate his arrest has been postponed to April 18. The Modena Prosecutor's Office is investigating the incident.
The owner of the restaurant where he works: 'They got it wrong'
"They got it wrong, the wrong person. He's been working for this place for six years, he's never made a mistake. He still hasn't understood what happened to him"Mario Campo, the owner of the Sicilian Pastry Shop “Cirisiamo” in Modena where the 23-year-old Guinean who was arrested and beaten by a policeman yesterday works, defended the young man whom he has known for a long time as “an exquisite and dedicated person”.
“He calls me 'daddy Mario, I raised him professionally. He's been working here for six years. He arrived on the boat, got international protection and through the social worker he got to work here, first as a dishwasher, then he made a career and is a second course cook”, he said.
Yesterday morning “It happened that he didn't have his documents in his pocket, but at home and they told him that they had to arrest him. They didn't use the delicacy to take what he told them at face value, they thought it was suspicious but they made a big blunder and someone will pay the consequences. He's one of those who took the right path: in Guinea he's building a house, he's sending money to his parents. You can't tar everyone with the same brush”.
Article published on March 14, 2024 - 16pm
