Attack on Badhon Was Also an Attack on Democracy

Let us stop pretending that thuggery becomes politics when someone wraps it in a political slogan. It does not. Politics is a contest of ideas, while thuggery is an attempt to silence them. When people can no longer persuade, they resort to pressure, humiliation and force. And that threatens not only the basic freedom to disagree but the very idea of democracy. The alleged attack on actress Azmeri Haque Badhon in Italy is a disturbing example of this, of how political hostility can cross that line.

According to Badhon, a group of Bangladeshi expatriates confronted and harassed her and her family in a park in Mestre because of her political views. She alleged that they threw water, soft drinks and eggs at her, knocked her phone from her hand and struck her near the ear. Her brother’s wife was also allegedly pushed, while a child was present. She also claimed that the group tried to force political slogans on her while recording the confrontation. These are, of course, allegations, and Italian authorities must establish the facts. But if investigators confirm them, we should not soften the language. Not anymore. We should call the conduct what it is: nothing better than thuggery.

Badhon went to Italy as an artist representing Bangladesh. That should have been the story. Instead, the alleged confrontation has drawn attention to a darker reality: how easily political hostility can follow us beyond our borders and turn into personal retaliation. Let us draw the line clearly. Argue with us. Challenge us. Prove us wrong. But do not attack us.

The circumstances make the incident even more shameful. Badhon was in Italy for the Venice International Film Festival, representing Bangladesh through The Difficult Bride. She went there as an artist, not as a political combatant. She should have been celebrating cinema and carrying Bangladesh’s cultural voice to an international audience. Instead, she says fellow Bangladeshis confronted her over her political stance. Whatever we think of her beliefs, no one has the right to humiliate or threaten her. Artists are human beings, too, and they deserve respect. And that does not require agreement with their opinions; it requires accepting their right to create, speak and participate in public life without fear.

If we disagree with someone, we should challenge what they say, not attack who they are. We can reject Badhon’s arguments, criticise her statements or oppose her position completely. But an opinion must be answered with another opinion, and an argument with a stronger argument. Once physical force enters the equation, political debate has already failed.

Meanwhile, the case has moved beyond social media outrage. Badhon has filed a complaint with Italian police and named eight Bangladeshi nationals whom she accused of involvement. BanglaFact, after analysing available footage, has also identified five people allegedly involved. However, identification is not proof of guilt. Italian authorities must examine the evidence, hear witnesses and determine individual responsibility. If anyone committed a crime, the law must take its course. No connection or affiliation should protect anyone from accountability, just as an allegation should not be treated as a conviction.

The incident also forces us to confront a wider problem. Why has political disagreement become so personal? Why do we treat criticism as betrayal? Why do political labels so easily turn opponents into enemies? Once that happens, reason gives way to hostility and hostility can quickly become violence. This is how a healthy political culture begins to rot.

We have seen the consequences of such a culture before. Political hatred can destroy relationships, institutions and, ultimately, lives. Yet we often condemn aggression only when it comes from the other side. That is a dangerous double standard. Principles mean little if we defend them only when they serve our interests. Violence must be condemned regardless of who commits it, and the victim’s identity should never determine our response.

Political organisations also need to examine the culture they create around their supporters. Leaders cannot constantly portray opponents as enemies and then act surprised when some followers cross the line. Political loyalty should never become a licence for aggression. Nor should strength be measured by how effectively supporters can silence those who disagree. Leaders must make it clear that political conviction demands discipline, not violence.

More importantly, we need to recover the real purpose of politics. Politics should persuade, challenge and compete. It should allow people to disagree without turning disagreement into personal warfare. We can be angry. We can be uncompromising. We can reject another person’s position entirely. But there must always be a line between fierce debate and physical intimidation. Crossing that line does not demonstrate strength. It demonstrates that the argument has run out.

Badhon went to Italy as an artist representing Bangladesh. That should have been the story. Instead, the alleged confrontation has drawn attention to a darker reality: how easily political hostility can follow us beyond our borders and turn into personal retaliation. Let us draw the line clearly. Argue with us. Challenge us. Prove us wrong. But do not attack us. The moment politics abandons ideas for coercion, it ceases to be a democratic contest. It becomes thuggery. And we must never accept that as politics.