A mayoral debate in São Paulo took a dramatic turn when news anchor and mayoral candidate José Luiz Datena violently struck his opponent with a metal chair.
The attack resulted in Pablo Marçal suffering a fractured rib and a dislocated finger. He was subsequently taken to the hospital after experiencing difficulty breathing.
The incident has created significant upheaval in the race for São Paulo’s mayoral position. Marçal, who was polling in third place behind incumbent Mayor Ricardo Nunes and leftist candidate Guilherme Boulos, had aimed to disrupt Datena, who was lagging with only 6% of the vote.
During the debate, Marçal repeatedly mentioned past sexual harassment allegations against Datena, which had been retracted but still appeared to provoke a strong reaction from Datena.
Datena, who accused Marçal of turning the debate into a spectacle, then violently retaliated by hitting Marçal with a chair.
Marçal later likened the attack to attempts on Donald Trump’s life and questioned the extent of hostility in the political arena on Instagram, asking, “Why is there so much hate?”
Marçal’s popularity has surged due to his active social media presence, boasting over 13 million followers. The mayoral election for São Paulo is scheduled for early October.
