Woman 'saved from gang rape' in Florence by Bangladeshi flower seller

A flower seller reportedly rescued a woman from being gang raped by 25 men.

Gaia Guarnotta was walking through Florence when she was approached by a group of “drunk boys” at 11.30pm near Piazza della Republica, she wrote in a Facebook post.

The 25-year-old said the men began by joking and asking for a selfie before the mood changed.

“At some point, I can't even explain how they surrounded me, but they started saying phrases like ‘come with us, we'll show you a good time, 25 against one is a good night, we'll have a gang bang, we'll make you enjoy it',” she said.

After she refused, the photographer from Livorno said she was called a “stupid b****” and a “whore” before being dragged by the arm.

“They chucked their drinks and straws over me and one of them, or maybe a couple of them, spat on me or tried to spit on me, while all the others were filming on their mobile phones."

As she struggled to get away Hossein Alamgir, a flower seller from Bangladesh, stepped in and took her to safety, she wrote.

She added: “Obviously, as soon as they saw me leave with him they started calling me an arab c***-sucking whore.”

Mr Alamgir gave her a handkerchief, took her to get something to eat and drink and handed her a rose.

“If Hossein had not been here that evening I would not have been able to tell my story now," she wrote. "Not knowing how to thank him, I gave him a passport photo of mine so that he could remember forever the face of the girl he saved that night.

“Thanks God there are people in the world like Hossein, who help without wanting anything in return. His is a face I will never forget.”

Mr Alamgir has lived in Florence since 2005, according to Direttanews. The 58-year-old confirmed he had been given a photo to “remember forever the girl I saved”.

He said he approached the group after seeing Ms Guarnotta becoming frightened. Telling the “scumbags” to leave her alone, the flower seller grabbed the crying woman by the arm and quickly took her away.

Ms Guarnotta said she had decided to post her story to show why feminism is important.

“The media says foreigners are evil, that misogyny doesn’t exist, that men and women are equal, that they have the same rights and freedoms, but we know it is not like this,” she wrote.