A televised debate between mayoral candidates in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s most populous city, ended abruptly on Sunday night when one of the participants physically assaulted another, in an incident that has rocked the election campaign and sparked widespread criticism.
José Luiz Datena, candidate for the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), hit Pablo Marçal, of the Brazilian Renewal Labor Party (PRTB), with a padlock during a heated discussion in the debate broadcast by TV Cultura. The incident occurred after Marçal repeatedly mentioned a sexual harassment complaint against Datena, which the politician says was dismissed by the courts.
The attack came after Marçal asked Datena a question. The PRTB candidate responded to the presenter with another question about when he would stop “clowning around” and resign from his candidacy.
“The accusation you made against me, I repeat, was not investigated because there was no evidence. It was shelved by the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” Datena clarified. “What you did to me today was terrible. I hope God forgives you. The day before yesterday you asked me for forgiveness. I forgave you,” he said.
In his response, Marçal said that Datena did not know what he was doing in the debate and called him a “cretin.” “You did not answer the question. We want to know. You are a cretin. You came to the debate these days to slap me and you said you wanted to do it. You are not even a man to do that. You are not a man,” Marçal said.
Datena then attacked Marçal with a chair. The programme was interrupted by the surprised moderator Leão Serva:
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A video posted on Instagram by Folha de S.Paulo journalist Monica Bergamo shows the moments after the attack. The images showed Datena and Marçal separated and exchanging insults. Marçal then returned to the pulpit.
According to eyewitnesses, Datena used a chair intended for another candidate to hit Marçal.
Leão Serva, the moderator of the debate, described the attack as “one of the most absurd events in the history of Brazilian television.”
The incident led to Datena’s immediate expulsion from the debate, while Marçal voluntarily left the programme. The organisers decided to continue the event with the four remaining candidates, who unanimously condemned the violent episode.
Marçal, a 37-year-old influencer with 13 million followers on Instagram and known for his provocative style, was taken to a hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties and possible fractures in the thoracic region. His campaign team issued a statement comparing the attack to incidents suffered by former President Jair Bolsonaro in 2018 and by Donald Trump in the current US presidential race.
Marçal, who is running for mayor for the first time, has gained notoriety for his confrontational style and far-right rhetoric. His campaign has been compared to that of Argentine politician Javier Milei, characterised by the use of war metaphors and a strong anti-leftist sentiment.
Datena, for his part, told reporters that he had “unfortunately” lost his temper, but insisted that he was reacting to false accusations affecting his family. The PSDB candidate confirmed his intention to continue in the electoral race, denying rumours of a possible resignation.
The debate, which was held under stricter rules due to previous controversies, initially focused on criticism of the current mayor and candidate for re-election, Ricardo Nunes (MDB). The other participants, Guilherme Boulos (PSOL), Tabata Amaral (PSB) and Marina Helena (Novo), had used their interventions to question Nunes’ management before the violence broke out.
According to the most recent Datafolha poll, published last Thursday, Nunes led voting intentions with 27%, closely followed by Boulos with 25%. Marçal was in third place with 19%, while Datena had 6% support.
The incident has sparked an intense debate about the state of Brazilian politics and the influence of social media on public discourse. An analysis by Folha de São Paulo published on Monday suggests that the debate “reflected the dilemma between the traditional idea of confrontation of ideas and the laceration dominant in the world of social media.”
TV Cultura, the channel that organised the debate, issued a statement regretting the incident and assuring that all measures had been taken in accordance with the rules previously established with the campaigns.
The next debate is scheduled for Tuesday on RedeTV! and UOL, where security measures and rules of conduct are expected to be even stricter to avoid a repeat of the episode.
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