Mayoral Debate Goes Off the Rails When Candidate Violently Attacks Rival Onstage

Sometimes, political debates can be dull, filled with meaningless chatter and empty sound bites.

But that wasn’t the case in the recent mayoral debate in São Paulo, Brazil.

On Sunday, six candidates vying for mayor took the stage for a televised debate, which quickly spiraled out of control when candidate Pablo Marçal brought up a past sexual harassment allegation against José Luiz Datena. The complaint had been dismissed, as reported by CNN.

Marçal challenged Datena directly, daring him to hit him.

“You’re not even man enough to do this,” Marçal declared, according to Reuters.

Spoiler alert: He was.

Footage from the debate shows Datena storming over to Marçal, raising a chair, and striking him on the side before the broadcast cut to a commercial break.

Datena later defended his actions, stating he felt justified in hitting his opponent.

“He brought up a case that was dismissed, never even investigated by the police due to a lack of evidence. It was something from 11 years ago that caused serious harm to my family,” Datena said, per CNN.

Marçal’s campaign hinted at legal action, according to Reuters.

“Pablo Marçal was cowardly attacked by José Luiz Datena, who struck him in the ribs with an iron chair,” his campaign team said.

Marçal sustained injuries to his chest and wrist but was released from the hospital later that Sunday.

Despite the altercation, the debate resumed without Marçal and Datena. The remaining candidates—Guilherme Boulos, Marina Helena, Ricardo Nunes, and Tabata Amaral—continued with the event.

Nunes and Boulos are currently leading the polls, with Marçal in third, according to Reuters.

Marçal, known for his conservative views and his background as a social media influencer, has seen a surge in popularity due to his outspoken style, The Associated Press reported.

On Monday, Datena expressed no remorse for his actions.

“If faced with the same circumstances, I would not hesitate to act the same way. It was an extreme response to a history of aggression from my opponent against me and others,” his statement read.

Meanwhile, Marçal’s campaign team criticized the decision to proceed with the debate while he was hospitalized.