A televised mayoral debate in Sao Paulo, Brazil got heated Sunday night, after one of the six candidates attacked another candidate with a metal chair.
The Associated Press reported that Pablo Marcal, a personal development influencer turned right-wing politician, spoke about allegations against one of his opponents, José Luiz Datena, a former TV presenter turned candidate, during the debate.
Marcal said Datena had wanted to slap him, adding, “You’re not even man enough to do this.”
Datena was then seen during the live video walking toward Marcal’s podium with a metal chair over his head and slamming into Marcal’s side as he raised his arms.
Immediately following the attack, the debate moderator for TV Cultura interrupted the event and cut to commercials. The debate later resumed on Sunday night without Marcal.
Rather than continue the debate, Marcal was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, where he reportedly received respiratory support.
On Monday, he explained to his followers that he felt pain while breathing and suffered a fracture on the bottom of his rib cage.
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Hospital officials said in a statement that Marcal suffered “trauma to the right chest region and right wrist without major associated complications,” adding that he had been discharged.
Marcal called the incident an “attempted homicide” on social media, even comparing it to the attempted assassination of former President Trump in July, and to the stabbing of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in 2018.
An inquiry into Datena’s alleged misconduct never resulted in charges, the Associated Press reported, and the issue was shelved after the accuser retracted her statements.
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Datena has also denied the accusations.
After the debate, Datena told reporters the episode had been painful for him because he believes it prompted his mother-in-law to suffer a series of strokes and later dying.
On Monday, Datena acknowledged making a mistake during the debate, though he had no regrets.
“If the circumstances were the same, I would not refrain from repeating the gesture, an extreme response to a history of aggression perpetrated against me and many others by my adversary,” he said.
Marcal’s campaign team said the debate should not have continued without him, adding they hope legal measures are taken against Datena.
On Sunday night, the incident was logged with Sao Paulo’s public security agency as “bodily injury and insult.” An investigation into the matter is ongoing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
