Why actress Badhan harassed by ‘AL men’ in Italy

Actress Azmeri Haque Badhan has alleged that she was harassed while attending the Venice Film Festival in Italy. She, later, filed a complaint with the local police seeking redress.

In a live session on her verified Facebook page on Monday night local time, Badhan said a group of expatriate Bangladeshis targeted her in Venice and threw water and rotten eggs at her.

She alleged that several activists identifying themselves as leaders and activists of the Venice units of the banned Awami League and Bangladesh Chhatra League carried out the incident because of her support for the July Mass Uprising (July-August 2024 movement).

Several videos circulating on social media show a group of people identifying themselves as Chhatra League activists calling Badhan a “July militant” and attempting to confront her.

Badhan said her young nephew was with her during the incident and became frightened and started screaming during the attack.

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The actress also alleged that the attackers snatched her phone and threw it away and struck her near the ear.

She said the attackers called her a “July fighter”. In response, she said, “I am definitely a July fighter. I took part in the July movement.”

Claiming that the attackers identified themselves as “soldiers of Bangabandhu”, Badhan said they forced her to chant “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu”. She also alleged that they were recording and livestreaming the incident.

Describing the severity of the incident, Badhan said, “It is not easy to silence me. I felt that they might kill me that day.”

According to eyewitnesses, the situation became tense following political slogans and an argument over Badhan’s presence at the film festival venue. At one point, water and soft drinks were thrown at her.

Badhan was actively involved in the streets during the 2024 student-people’s movement and also spoke out about the political situation at the time in international media. The incident is believed to have taken place against that backdrop.