A heated debate in the Mexican Senate escalated into a physical altercation on Wednesday when opposition PRI party leader Alejandro Moreno confronted the Senate president from the ruling Morena party, Gerardo Fernández Noroña. The clash followed accusations that opposition lawmakers had called for U.S. military intervention against drug cartels, which were strongly denied by the PRI and PAN parties.
In a video posted by the Mexican Senate, Moreno was seen shoving and slapping Fernández Noroña, along with pushing aside others trying to intervene. The incident erupted after Moreno accused Fernández Noroña of denying him the floor during the session. Fernández Noroña announced plans to file a complaint against Moreno for bodily harm and to seek revocation of Moreno's legislative immunity.
Both senators are embroiled in separate controversies; Moreno faces possible impeachment over alleged corruption from his time as Campeche State governor, while Fernández Noroña has been criticized for owning an expensive home despite advocacy for modest living by President Claudia Sheinbaum.
This brawl happened in the context of tensions stirred by reports that former U.S. President Donald Trump had directed the Pentagon to consider military action against Latin American drug cartels, a move Mexico strongly opposes, reiterating it would reject any U.S. military presence on its soil.