A mayoral debate in Brazil turned ugly when one of the candidates attacked a rival with a metal chair on live TV. According to CNN, the incident took place on Sunday, September 15. Pablo Marcal was delivering his speech when Jose Luiz Datena suddenly appeared from the shadows and attacked Mr Marcal with the chair. A video from the debate, broadcast live by TV Cultura, showed the tense exchange between the two before Mr Datena launched the heavy chair from close range at his counterpart's head.
The footage showed Mr Datena walking up to his victim and swinging the metal chair at his counterpart, although the latter managed to raise an arm at the last minute and deflect the blow slightly. Following the incident, Mr Marcal was hospitalised with suspected fractured ribs and breathing difficulties. The hospital said he had suffered trauma to his chest and wrist, but without any major complications, CNN reported.
Take a look at the video below:
Mr Datena later told TV Cultura that he had attacked Mr Marcal because he had brought up old sexual harassment allegations against Mr Datena that were dismissed several years ago. "He came with a case that was archived, that was not even investigated by the police because there was no evidence. Something from 11 years ago that caused a very serious situation within my family," Mr Datena said, per the outlet.
After the incident, Mr Datena was expelled from the debate. However, on Monday he insisted that while he had made a mistake he did not regret his actions.
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Mr Marcal, on the other hand, compared the attack to the July assassination attempt against former US President Donald Trump and the stabbing of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during the 2018 election. His team has vowed to take legal action.
"Pablo Marcal was cowardly attacked by Jose Luiz Datena, who hit him in the ribs with an iron chair," Mr Marcal's team said, adding that it was unfortunate the debate had continued without him.
Meanwhile, the remaining candidates Guilherme Boulos, Marina Helena, Ricardo Nunes and Tabata Amaral continued the debate following the attack. TV Cultura said it regretted the incident and had pressed ahead with the discussion in accordance with the rules after the other candidates agreed.
