Security escort given to president of Rome's Piccolo Cinema America association.

Valerio Carocci, president of the Piccolo Cinema America association in Rome, has been assigned a police escort following a series of recent attacks.

The escort was assigned to Carocci, the driving force behind the popular Cinema in Piazza free film festival, after constant threats and violence in recent months.

Carocci, aged 29, was attacked and threatened in Trastevere, where one of the festival's free screenings takes place.

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The violence and threats allegedly come from both far-left and far-right circles which accuse Carocci of being a "friend of the police."

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi, on Twitter, expresses her solidarity with Valerio Carocci "to whom today the Prefecture of Rome has assigned the escort for the shameful and unacceptable threats received in recent days and last year by Casapound. In Rome there is no room for violence and bullying."

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In June 2019 three people were attacked by members of far-right groups, because one of the victims was wearing an "anti-fascist" Cinema America t-shirt.

Following the assault, major Hollywood names including Francis Ford Coppola, Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe, Spike Lee, Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich came out in support of Cinema America, stating: "It is unacceptable that there are still those who think they can impose their thoughts with the use of violence."

Solidarietà a @ValerioCarocci a cui oggi la Prefettura di Roma ha assegnato la scorta per le vergognose e inaccettabili minacce ricevute nei giorni scorsi e l’anno scorso da Casapound. A Roma non c’è spazio per violenza e prepotenze— Virginia Raggi (@virginiaraggi) July 30, 2020

Photo La Repubblica