Italy's conscience revived -Asia Argento

(ANSA) - Paris, January 29 - Italian actress and director Asia Argento feels Italy's conscience has been revived following an outcry against abuses of power.
    After she was one of the first to speak out against sexual assault by powerful producer Harvey Weinstein, she said, right-wing sections of Italy's media had attacked her in a "rather disgusting" manner.
    Since then, however, much has changed, she said.
    Argento made these comments during an interview with Le Monde at the Festival du Film Fantastique in Gérardmer, where she is this year's head of the jury. She added that Europeans had been more "far-sighted" than Americans concerning the "injustices" she had suffered, noting that many had understood that an actor accusing her of sexually assaulting him as a minor, Jimmy Benett, had been "exploited". The actress and director said that she had been "touched" by this solidarity, since she had experienced a "terrible 2017-2018".
    She also noted that the #Metoo movement had initially focused on speaking out against serious abuses of power but had over time become a "Hollywood product", "something that makes you stupid, a bit fake and bigoted" and comparable to "the Christian Democrats in all their splendour".