Watch: Brazil mayoral debate spirals out of control after candidate throws chair at rival

A televised mayoral debate among rivals for mayor of São Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, descended into an ugly spectacle after one candidate ran amok and attacked his rival with a chair. The viral video, now circulating widely on social media, captures the heated exchange between José Luiz Datena and Pablo Marçal.

According to CNN, Datena assaulted Marçal, leading to Marçal requiring hospital treatment for his injuries. The conflict arose after Marçal mentioned old sexual harassment allegations against Datena, which had been dismissed years ago.

Datena said that the case was archived without a police investigation due to lack of evidence and had caused significant strain on his family.

Following the altercation, Datena was expelled from the debate. While he admitted his actions were a mistake, he expressed no regret.

Marçal, who was treated at Sírio Libanês Hospital for chest and wrist trauma, later likened the attack to assassination attempts on political figures like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. He also posted an image of all three attacks on Instagram and captioned it, “Why all this hate?”

The debate resumed with the remaining candidates, and TV Cultura, which is the host of debate, expressed regret over the incident but continued the event in line with the rules after the other candidates agreed.

Marçal’s team has indicated plans to pursue legal action. “Pablo Marçal was cowardly attacked by José Luiz Datena, who hit him in the ribs with an iron chair,” Marçal’s team said, adding that it was unfortunate the debate had continued without him.