Mexico's Senate became a battleground this week following a heated argument over foreign military presence turned into a fight between two of the country's most influential politicians.
The brawl broke out on Wednesday after parliamentarians completed the national anthem to adjourn the session. Opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) leader Alejandro "Alito" Moreno accused Senate president Gerardo Fernandez Norona of the ruling Morena party of refusing to listen to him.
In a live video, Moreno yelled out over and over again, "Let me speak," as he grabbed Fernandez Norona, who firmly said, "Don't touch me." The argument immediately escalated into violence, with Moreno tugging at the Senate president and even punching him on the neck. A staff member who attempted to intervene was knocked to the floor, with another legislator joining in, delivering punches at Fernandez Norona.
At a press conference later, Fernandez Norona accused Moreno of provoking him, claiming that the opposition leader threatened to kill him during the altercation. “He hit me and said, ‘I’m going to beat the shit out of you, I’m going to kill you,’” he alleged.
Moreno, though, stood up for his actions in an impassioned social media message. "When Norona overstepped, he knew precisely what he was doing. I will forever respond in the face, with dignity and without fear, to stand up for Mexico," he wrote.
The fight came after a heated debate during which Morena legislators had accused the opposition PRI and PAN parties of backing US military intervention in Mexico. The opposition protested the accusation, although on Tuesday earlier this week a PAN senator had told Fox News that US aid in combating cartels would be "absolutely welcome."
The exchange has become more sensitive following reports that ex-US President Donald Trump had weighed authorizing the use of military action against drug cartels in Latin America.
Following the fight, Fernandez Norona declared an emergency session for Friday to suggest expelling Moreno and three other PRI members. He also said he has filed a criminal complaint against Moreno.
Moreno responded by accusing Morena of bending parliamentary rules to muzzle opposition, asserting the government "altered the order of the day at the last moment."
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