Brazilian mayoral candidate hits opponent with a chair during live debate
A televised debate among election rivals for mayor of São Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, descended into chaos when one candidate hit another with a chair and was expelled.
A televised debate among election rivals for mayor of São Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, descended into chaos when one struggling candidate whacked another with a chair and was expelled.
During Sunday’s debate among six hopefuls, candidate José Luiz Datena, a TV presenter, exploded when opponent Pablo Marçal, a far-right influencer, said Datena was not man enough to hit him as he had previously threatened.
Datena had threatened to hit Marçal in a prior debate when Marçal raised a 2019 complaint of sexual harassment against Datena by a coworker. The coworker withdrew her complaint, but later said she had been intimidated into silence.
Datena throws a chair at Pablo Marçal (not seen) during a debate Sunday. Site TV Pop/Reuters TV via ReutersIn his rage on Sunday, Datena picked up a chair and brought it crashing down on Marçal’s shoulder. Datena, who is polling in fifth place for the Oct. 6 election, was expelled from the debate. Marçal left to get medical attention for a bruised rib, his spokesperson said.
The remaining candidates continued the debate.
Rating: 5