São Paulo mayoral debate turns violent as candidate attacks opponent with chair

Jack Aylmer

A TELEVISED MAYORAL DEBATE TOOK A VIOLENT TURN IN SAO PAULO.

NEWS ANCHOR AND MAYORAL CANDIDATE JOSE LUIZ DATENA SHOCKING VIEWERS WHEN HE ATTACKED HIS OPPONENT WITH A CHAIR.

THE INCIDENT LEFT PABLO MARCAL WITH A FRACTURED RIB AND DISLOCATED FINGER. 

HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER COMPLAINING OF DIFFICULTY BREATHING. 

THIS DRAMATIC MOMENT HAS THROWN THE RACE TO GOVERN BRAZIL’S LARGEST CITY INTO TURMOIL.

MARCAL HAD BEEN POLLING THIRD IN THE RACE BEHIND INCUMBENT MAYOR RICARDO NUNES AND A LEFTIST CANDIDATE. 

LEADING UP TO THE DEBATE, MARCAL SAID HE PLANNED TO “DESTABILIZE” DATENA, WHO WAS TRAILING WITH JUST 6-PERCENT OF THE VOTE.

DURING THE DEBATE, MARCAL REPEATDLEY BROUGHT UP SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST DATENA, 

ALTHOUGH THE ALLEGATIONS WERE LATER RETRACTED, THE TOPIC STRUCK A NERVE WITH DETANA. 

DATENA CLAIMED HIS OPPONENT, AN INSTAGRAM INFLUENCER, WAS TURNING THE DEBATE INTO A SPECTACLE, CALLING IT ANOTHER ONE OF MARCAL’S INTERNET STUNTS.

BUT TENSIONS BOILED WHEN DATENA PICKED UP A CHAIR AND SLAMMED IT INTO MARCAL’S BACK.

MARCAL LATER COMPARED THE ATTACK TO ASSAINATION ATTEMPTS ON DONALD TRUMP ASKING ON INSTAGRAM, “WHY IS THERE SO MUCH HATE?”

MARCAL’S RISE IN THE POLLS HAS LARGELY BEEN DRIVEN BY HIS USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, WHERE HE HAS MORE THAN 13-MILLION FOLLOWERS. 

SAO PAULO’S MAYORAL ELECTION IS SET FOR EARLY OCTOBER

WE’LL KEEP YOU UPDATE AS THE SITUATION DEVELOPS, I’M      FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS