A parliamentary session in Mexico descended into chaos on Wednesday as senators exchanged blows during a heated debate over accusations that opposition lawmakers had called for United States military intervention against drug cartels.
The confrontation erupted when Alejandro Moreno, leader of the opposition PRI party, marched to the podium at the close of the session and angrily confronted Gerardo Fernández Noroña, the Senate president from the ruling Morena party, accusing him of denying him the floor.
In a video posted by Mexico’s Senate on social media, Moreno is seen shoving Fernández Noroña several times, slapping him on the neck, and pushing another man to the ground when he tried to intervene.
The scuffle followed an already tense debate, during which the opposition PRI and PAN were accused of advocating for U.S. military intervention—a claim both parties firmly deny.
After the brawl, Fernández Noroña told reporters that he planned to file a complaint against Moreno for bodily harm and would request that his legislative immunity be revoked.
“The debate could be very harsh, very bitter, very strong… today when opposition legislators are exposed for their treason, they lose their minds because they were exposed,” Fernández Noroña declared.
Moreno, however, rejected the allegations, insisting that he had been provoked. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), he stated:
“He was the one who started the attack; he did it because he couldn’t silence us with arguments.”
Both lawmakers are also entangled in separate controversies. Moreno faces possible impeachment proceedings over alleged corruption during his tenure as governor of Campeche State from 2015 to 2019. Fernández Noroña has been criticized for reportedly owning an expensive home, at a time when President Claudia Sheinbaum has urged public officials to embrace modest living.
The clash comes amid heightened tensions following reports in U.S. media that former President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to consider using military force against Latin American drug cartels labeled as terrorist organizations.
Mexico, however, reiterated its firm opposition to any such move, stressing that it “would not accept the participation of U.S. military forces on our territory.”
