Actress Azmeri Haque Badhon has alleged that she was attacked and harassed in Italy, saying she was physically assaulted and had water, soft drinks and eggs thrown at her.

She said her mobile phone was knocked out of her hand during the incident. Her brother’s young child was also present at the time. Following the incident, Badhon filed a complaint with the local police.

According to Badhon, the attack was carried out because of her active participation in the July-August 2024 student-people’s movement in Bangladesh. She said several of the attackers identified themselves as members of the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, and the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League, and described themselves as “soldiers of Bangabandhu.”

The actress alleged that she was forced to say, “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu.” The attackers allegedly attempted to record the incident and broadcast or publish it live on social media.

Badhon travelled to Italy to attend the screening of The Difficult Bride, directed by Rubaiyat Hossain, at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. She is currently staying in the city of Mestre. The incident took place on Monday night when she went to a local park with her brother and his family.

After the incident, Badhon went live on her verified Facebook page and described what happened. She later posted several videos of the alleged attack and harassment.

In the videos, several people can be seen approaching Badhon aggressively, engaging in a physical altercation with her and speaking angrily. Some of them can also be heard calling her a “July militant.”

Speaking during the Facebook Live, Badhon said, “I went to the park with my brother’s family. Many Bangladeshi people came there and physically harassed me. They threw water and Coke at me. I became completely soaked.”

Badhon said she was physically assaulted and hit near her ear.

“They raised their hands against me, knocked my phone out of my hand and hit me near my ear,” she said.

Badhon’s brother’s young child was also with them during the incident. In one of the videos, the child can be heard trying to stop the attackers by referring to the child’s presence. In response, one person can be heard saying, “What child? He has to say Joy Bangla.”

Several people can also be heard in the videos calling Badhon a “July militant” and making aggressive remarks about her political stance.

“They called me a July warrior. Yes, I am. I definitely participated in the July movement,” Badhon said.

She also alleged that her brother’s wife was pushed during the incident.

“They raised their hands against me. My brother’s wife was also pushed,” she said.

Condemning the incident, Badhon said, “It is not so easy to silence someone like Azmeri Haque Badhon. Today, you showed people around the world that an actress representing Bangladesh was harassed.”

Addressing the alleged attackers, she added, “You should have come out of this irrational behaviour, but you could not. You may have thought that by doing this, you could somehow rebuild your position later. I don’t think that will happen.”

In her video message, Badhon also mentioned Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the son of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She said she had learned that Joy was also in Venice and expressed her intention to bring the incident to his attention.

Badhon was active on the streets during the July-August 2024 student-people’s movement and spoke in support of the movement to both domestic and international media.

She is attending the Venice International Film Festival with the team of The Difficult Bride. Directed by Rubaiyat Hossain, the film has been selected for the festival’s Orizzonti section. Its world premiere was held on September 6 at Sala Darsena.

The film features Zainin Karim, Rikta Nandini Shimu, Sunerah Binte Kamal and Azmeri Haque Badhon in the four principal female roles.