Bologna, July 23, 2026 – A maxi dinner canceled following clashes after the death of Abderrahim Fakir. It happened in a well-known downtown restaurant, which reports the episode and speaks of “a strong fright” among Austrian tourists after reading about Monday evening’s guerrilla warfare in the German press. However, these are not casual visitors, but executives of a large multinational company who choose Bologna every year to stay for three days, discuss business, and enjoy the city. Not this time, though.
The story: maxi reservation canceled after clashes
The reservation had been in place for at least a month: a dinner for 24 people scheduled for tonight downtown, in a historic establishment, a few steps from where the night of fire, smoke, and violence took place. An agency acted as an intermediary between the foreign clients and the Bolognese restaurant, and after Monday evening’s events, it wrote to the owner of the business, informing him that the group intended to cancel the trip after seeing the images and reading about the clashes between the protesters and the police on Monday evening.
The agency’s assurances that described Monday’s events as “an isolated incident” were of no avail: the fear generated by the images of the devastation downtown still prompted the company to cancel the trip scheduled from yesterday until Saturday.
A matter already embroiled in controversy due to the protest called by Mayor Matteo Lepore in Piazza del Nettuno to give voice to the family of Abderrahim, and for the lack of written authorization to the Police Headquarters and Prefecture by the Municipality before the published summons sent to information bodies (as well as subsequent phone calls, messages, and meetings between the authorities involved). A case that prompted the Interior Ministry, as reported yesterday exclusively by the online edition of il Resto del Carlino, to open an investigation to verify the correctness of the procedures.
The restaurateur’s words: “In so many years, an episode like this had never happened”
He prefers to remain anonymous because he doesn’t want to create controversy, but it’s against the backdrop of the restaurant owner who saw the reservation for 24 people canceled, with a significant advance payment from the intermediary agency and the possibility of not seeing the sums already paid (in addition to any penalties) returned.
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“A rather significant revenue was expected for us,” says the restaurateur, politely but also with bitterness. “Yesterday afternoon, we received an email from the agency informing us that the clients, scared by the atmosphere, preferred to cancel. The news went around the world: everyone saw the clashes, and these people decided to cancel the trip, as well as the dinner. It’s a recurring trip, a stay they organize every year: it wouldn’t have been their first visit to the city.”
Not only that, because the owner of the establishment also speaks of a scenario characterized by “a rather reduced overall revenue in the last two years concerning the summer”: “The city has changed a lot, there have been construction sites, and one might think that the attractiveness of the center has not been considered a priority. In this specific case, there is not only damage, albeit considerable, to my business, but also a bad image of Bologna seen from outside. I’ve worked here for many, many years, and something like this had never happened to me…”.
The League attacks: “Lepore must compensate for damages”
Matteo Di Benedetto, group leader of the League in the Municipality, immediately attacks the Council: “Another of the many economic consequences has arrived. In the communication sent to the restaurateur, it is clearly stated that the trip was canceled because the clients, scared by the news and images of the clashes that occurred in the city and re-launched by international media, decided not to leave. It is the first concrete example of the economic damage caused to Bologna’s image. Mayor Lepore continues not to answer a fundamental question: who will pay for this damage? Who will compensate the restaurateur for the lost revenue? How many other reservations will be canceled in the coming days? How many tourists and visitors will choose other destinations after seeing Bologna on televisions and in newspapers worldwide associated with violence and unrest that erupted on the sidelines of the demonstration called by the mayor? The city’s image is everyone’s heritage and cannot be sacrificed for political operations that have had such serious consequences.”
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