ROME - Four men thought to have links to far-right groups in the Eternal City have been detained in connection with the physical assault of a small group of 20-year-old men who were returning home from an open air film festival in Trastevere wearing t-shirts that promoted the event. The attack, seemingly motivated by fascist ideologies, has drawn sharp criticism from across the country and has widely been seen as symptomatic of the “growing climate of intolerance” in Italy’s capital.

 The Community of Sant'Egidio were amongst those to denounce the events. “Sant’Egidio strongly condemns the fascist ambush on Saturday night, in via San Francesco a Ripa, and expresses solidarity with the for young men attacked solely because they were wearing ‘Cinema America’ t-shirts,” a Community press release read. “The episode is the worrying symptom of a growing climate of intolerance, racism and ciolence that is spreading from the peripharies to the city centre with too much ease.”

 “We are concerned about the civil and moral stability of Rome which, due to its history, deserves much better,” the Community went on to add.

 Their words follow news that four young men were physically assaulted after attending an open-air cinema evening in Rome’s Trastevere neighbourhood. The four wore event t-shirts for which they were verbally attacked by a group of men thought to be around ten years their senior.

 “You are wearing a ‘Cinema America’ t-shirt,” one perpetrator is alleged to have shouted at the boys, before adding: “you’re anti-fascist, take the shirt off now, you need to get out of here.”

 The attackers then proceeded to punch, headbutt, insult and strike the victim’s with bottles when the young men refused to remove their shirts. David Habib, 20, one of the victims, told police that the group of aggressors quickly swelled from two to over ten, and they “were unable to escape or to defend [themselves].”

 While none of the victims are currently in critical condition, Habib required stitches and is to undergo an emergency operation on his nose following the attack.

 “Trastevere is a meeting point for people of all ages, where young and old people spend their evenings,” Habib said after the event. “We will not stop going to the area… and we will not stop going to film screenings or stop wearing out Cinema America t-shirts.”

 The victims have received the full support of event organisers as well as politicians across the country. Democratic Party leader Nicola Zingaretti tweeted: “We are all… on the side of the young people who fill Rome’s evenings with culture,” before adding that he hoped the offenders were quickly arrested. Rome’s Mayor Virginia Raggi, meanwhile, expressed her solidarity with the victim’s and condemned an act that has no place in “an open and inclusive city” such as Rome.

ea