The 31-year-old American spent four years in jail after she was convicted of stabbing Miss Kercher to death in the flat they shared in Perugia in 2007. Knox, who was then cleared of the 21-year-old student’s murder in 2015, along with her Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, told a criminal justice conference in Modena that she fears new criminal charges will be levelled against her. She said: “I know that despite my acquittal issued by the Court of Cassation, I remain a controversial figure in the presence of public opinion, especially in Italy.
“A lot of people think I’m crazy to come here. I was told that I was not safe, that I will be attacked in the streets, that I will be falsely accused and sent back to prison.”
Miss Kercher’s half-naked body was found in the apartment she and Knox shared. She had been stabbed 47 times and her throat had been cut. Police also found signs of sexual assault.
In 2009 Knox, who has always denied the murder, was convicted of falsifying a break-in, sexual assault, murder and defamation.
She was sentenced to 26 years in jail. Sollecito was also given a 25-year term but both appealed and were released.
Rudy Guede, from the Ivory Coast, is serving a 16-year sentence for his role in the murder.
In January, the European Court of Human Rights ordered Italy to pay Knox €18,400 (£16,400) for police failings to provide her with a lawyer and a translator.
Since the murder, Knox has written a book and been the subject of a TV documentary.
Miss Kercher’s family last week hit out at her return to Italy, claiming it has only been done to “keep the attention on herself”.