RIO DE JANEIRO — A candidate in Sao Paulo ’s mayoral race was in hospital Monday after one of his five rivals in a televised debate slammed him with a metal chair following references to allegations of sexual misconduct.
Pablo Marçal, a personal development influencer turned right-wing politician, referred to the allegations against José Luiz Datena, a former TV presenter turned candidate, and then taunted Datena to respond: “You’re not even man enough to do this.”
Datena, who has denied the allegations, then came over toward Marçal’s podium with the chair above his head and slammed it into Marçal’s side as the influencer put up his arms. The moderator of the TV Cultura debate then quickly interrupted and cut to commercials, and the debate resumed later Sunday night without Marçal.
Marçal’s team shared video of him subsequently rushing to a hospital in an ambulance while receiving respiratory support. He explained on social media channels Monday that he had felt pain while breathing, and had suffered a fracture at the bottom of his rib cage.
Marçal has parlayed his internet fandom and fiery rhetoric into a nascent political movement, shooting up in the polls in recent months and now running neck-and-neck with incumbent Ricardo Nunes and leftist lawmaker Guilherme Boulos. That has drawn even greater attention to the mayoral race in Brazil’s biggest city.
Marçal compared the incident to the assassination attempt against Donald Trump earlier this year and to the stabbing of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro in the lead up to the 2018 presidential election.
An inquiry into the alleged misconduct by Datena never resulted in any charges, and it was shelved when the accuser retracted her statements.
Speaking to reporters after the debate, Datena explained that the episode had been especially painful for him because he believes it prompted his mother-in-law to suffer a series of strokes and pass away.
“Unfortunately, I lost my head,” Datena told journalists after the incident. “I could have simply left the debate, gone home, which would have been much better. But just as I cry, a human reaction, this was a human reaction that I couldn’t contain.”
Marçal’s campaign team said the debate shouldn’t have continued without him, and that it hopes appropriate legal measures will be taken against Datena. So far, no charges have been filed against Datena over the attack.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is backing Boulos. Bolsonaro endorsed Nunes, but many supporters of the former president have rallied behind Marçal, enthralled by his persona.