São Paulo mayoral candidate hits rival with a chair during TV debate

São Paulo's Democratic Socialist Party (PSDB) mayoral candidate José Luiz Datena hit his rival Pablo Marçal of the Partido Renovador Laborista (PRTB) with a chair Sunday during a campaign debate with video footage of the incident going viral. The attacker was carried off the stage and the victim needed medical help. Tension had escalated during the verbal confrontation to the point when the PRTB nominee snapped when Marçal accused him of not being man enough “to do that; you're not a man,” he insisted, thus prompting the non-debating reaction for which Datena took the chair of fellow contender Marina Helena of the Novo Party.

At that moment, the TV Cultura broadcast was interrupted. “It is one of the most absurd moments of Brazilian television, especially in debates,” moderator Leão Serva explained. The incident became the topic of the day Monday in South America's largest city.



Episodes of physical or verbal violence usually attract a lot of attention. In any case, voter perception will depend on how the narrative is controlled in the coming weeks, now that Paulistas might reconsider their viewpoints. Despite the physical reaction, Datena can still be perceived as the victim after being insulted, so the episode could still play out in his favor.

No sanctions are expected from electoral authorities. However, civil or criminal lawsuits might still ensue..