Porto Torres, offensive graffiti targeting the mayor. They were quickly removed, but the gesture sparked outrage.

Insulting graffiti targeting the mayor of Porto Torres, Massimo Mulas, a candidate in the municipal elections.

They appeared this morning on the facade of the Town Hall in Piazza Umberto I: traces of hatred that mark a heated period of the electoral campaign, twenty days before the local elections, scheduled for June 7th and 8th.

Some municipal employees noticed the offensive graffiti on the walls of the town hall, near the entrance. Surveillance cameras captured the image of a hooded man committing the act, which constitutes aggravated defamation as the offense was directed against an administrative and political body.

A complaint was immediately filed against unknown persons with law enforcement. The DIGOS (Special Operations Division) is investigating the case and, in collaboration with the local police command, has acquired surveillance footage to identify the perpetrators. The municipal administration has had the graffiti removed from the public building.

Messages of solidarity have come from center-right mayoral candidate Ivan Cermelli: "I unhesitatingly condemn any personal attack or violent act against anyone who puts themselves at the service of the city," he said. "The debate must be heated, but we discuss programs, not offend people. Without that respect, there is no community life, there is no democracy."

Other messages also arrived from other councilor candidates running for the municipal elections. This gesture raises questions about how an election campaign is conducted.