“I’m not easy to silence”: Actress Badhon attacked and harassed in Italy

Actress Azmeri Haque Badhon says she was attacked and harassed in Italy, where she was allegedly pelted with water, soft drinks and eggs and physically assaulted.

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

Badhon alleged that she was targeted because of her active role in the student-people’s movement of July–August 2024. She said some of the attackers identified themselves as activists of the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, and the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League, as well as “soldiers of Bangabandhu”.

According to the actress, the attackers forced her to say, “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu”. They also attempted to record the incident and livestream and publish the footage on social media, she alleged.

Badhon travelled to Italy to attend a screening of The Difficult Bride, directed by Rubaiyat Hossain, at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. She is currently staying in Mestre. The attack and harassment 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 had happened in detail. She later posted several videos of the attack and harassment.

The videos show several people approaching Badhon aggressively, grappling with her and speaking to her angrily. Some of them can be heard calling her a “July Jongi” (July terror).

Speaking during Facebook Live, Badhon said, “I went to the park with my brother’s family. A lot of our Bangladeshi brothers came there and physically harassed me. They threw water and Coke at me. I was completely drenched.”

Badhon said she was hit and struck near her ear. “They hit me, knocked my phone out of my hand and struck me near my ear.”

Her brother’s young child was also present during the incident. In one of the videos she posted, the child can be heard trying to stop the attackers. 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 terror” and making aggressive remarks about her political position.

“They called me a July warrior. Yes, I am. I certainly took part in the July movement,” Badhon said.

Badhon also said her sister-in-law was pushed during the incident. “I was hit, and my brother’s wife was also pushed,” she said.

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

Addressing the attackers, she added, “You should have moved on from this irrational behaviour, but you could not. You thought that perhaps by behaving this way, you could rebuild your position later. I do not think that is going to 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 asked for the incident to be brought to his attention.

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

Badhon 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 at the Sala Darsena theatre on 6 September. The film stars Zainen Karim, Rikita Nandini Shimu, Sunerah Binte Kamal and Azmeri Haque Badhon in its four principal female roles.