Keanu Reeves, Spike Lee and others support Italian cinema targeted by neo-fascists

Hollywood actors, Keanu Reeves and Willem Dafoe and directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Alfonso Cuaron, Spike Lee, and Wim Wenders have come out in support of an independent Italian cinema group after it became the target of far-right violence.

"We express our solidarity to the youth attacked in Rome, as well as the experience of the Cinema America and all young people who create a dialogue between the world of art and people … It is unacceptable that there are still those who think they can impose their beliefs through the use of violence," the group, which also included John Malkovich, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, said in a statement.

On June 16, four young people wearing Cinema America t-shirts were attacked by suspected neo-fascists at an outdoor screening of the film First Reformed by Paul Schrader, who also signed on to support the cinema collective.

According to Italian media reports, five men from suburb of Casalotti have been detained in connection with the assault, at least one of whom has ties to the youth wing of the far-right extremist CasaPound party.

The suspects are reportedly already known to police for violent crimes and participation in extreme right-wing demonstrations.

They are all between 20 and 38 years old.