MILAN (AP) — A mayoral candidate in Italy says a cousin of hers was threatened on a public tram in Florence because of the color of his skin.

Antonella Bundu, who was born in Florence to parents from Sierra Leone, said in a Facebook post on Monday that "a fascist gang" accosted her cousin with both racial insults and death threats.

Bundu says other passengers in the rail car came to his defense.

She wrote the experience shook up her cousin "because if a fascist gang felt they could act in broad daylight, in public, that means that something isn't right, and that this climate of hatred must be stopped before it is too late."

The current mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, says police are reviewing video footage to try to identify the aggressors.