Italian actress who accused Harvey Weinstein of rape leaves country over hostile reaction

An Italian actress who accused Harvey Weinstein of rape has left the country after being taken aback by the hostile reaction to her revelation.

Asia Argento alleged the Holywood mogul assaulted her in a hotel room in 1997 earlier this month as she spoke out in a New Yorker magazine expose.

The intervention was praised by women’s rights campaigners and fellow actresses around the world, helping trigger the slew of allegations that have since come to light. 

However in Italy there have been critical voices in the press and politics who have belittled her account, which included a number of consensual encounters with Mr Weinstein.

Vittorio Sgarbi, a politician and friend of Ms Argento’s former partner, said: “I have the feeling that he was actually assaulted by her.”

Journalist Mario Adinolfi tweeted the actress was attempting to “justify high-society prostitution”, while others have questioned why she did not speak out earlier. 

Ms Argento has now said she will move from Italy to Germany and criticised the “climate of tension” and “victim blaming” in her home country. 

“Italy is far behind the rest of the world in its view of women,” she said in a recent interview. 

“I don’t see what I can do there - I’ll come back when things improve to fight alongside all the other women,” Ms Argento added.

“I didn't have to courage to speak until now because you see what happened, 20 years after the attack?” Other actresses have supported spoken of a similar culture in Italy.

Jessica Chastain, the star of Zero Dark Thirty and Interstellar, tweeted: 

Mr Weinstein has denied that any on his relationships were not consensual.