Brazilian mayoral election debate turns ugly after candidate attacks rival with chair on live TV

CNN
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A mayoral election debate in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo turned into a brawl when one candidate attacked a rival with a chair.

A video of the debate, which was broadcast live on Sunday on TV Cultura, shows a tense exchange between José Luis Datena and Pablo Marsal before Datena waves a chair at his counterpart.

Datena later told TV Cultura that he attacked Marsal – who required hospital treatment for his injuries – because he had brought up old sexual harassment allegations against Datena that had been dismissed several years ago.

“He came with a case that had been archived, that had not even been investigated by the police because there was no evidence. Something that happened 11 years ago that caused a very serious situation within my family,” said Datena.

Datena was ejected from the debate but insisted in a statement Monday that although he made a mistake he does not regret his actions.

Marsal was treated at the Syrian Lebanese Hospital before being discharged. His team said he was treated for a possible chest fracture and was having difficulty breathing. The hospital said he suffered trauma to his chest and wrist, but no major complications.

Marsal compared the chair attack to the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump last July and the stabbing of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during the 2018 election, posting a photo of the three attacks on Instagram with the caption: “Why all the hate?”

The remaining candidates, Guilherme Pauls, Marina Helena, Ricardo Nunes and Tabata Amaral, continued the debate after the attack. TV Cultura said it regretted the incident and that it had gone ahead with the debate in accordance with the rules after the other candidates agreed.

Marsal’s team has vowed to take legal action.

“Pablo Marsal was cowardly attacked by Jose Luis Datena, who hit him on the ribs with a steel chair,” Marsal’s team said, adding that it was unfortunate that the debate continued without him.

CNN has reached out to Sao Paulo police, Datana and Marsal teams.

CNN’s Michael Rios contributed to this report.