A man groped and tried to kiss Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum while she was interacting with citizens in the streets of Mexico City.
The disturbing video of the incident, which took place on Tuesday, November 4, has raised questions about sexual harassment faced by the women in Mexico and the lack of presidential security.
In the now-viral clip, a visibly drunk man tries to kiss the president on the neck and embrace her from behind, as she removes her hands before a government official steps in and places himself between them.
On Wednesday, Sheinbaum said that the harassment she faced was an assault on all women and that she has decided to press charges against the man.
The 63-year-old further noted that this is something that she also suffered when she was a student and that "no man has the right to violate that space".
Following the incident, state police confirmed that the man had been arrested.
"Even if you're the president, any guy believes he has the right to touch you," said Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, a journalist for the feminist outlet Volcánicas. "When they ask what the patriarchy is – this is it."
The incident also highlighted the broader security risk that Sheinbaum faces on the street, as her security detail was notably not visible in the video.
It came just days after Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, a popular mayor, was killed at the Day of the Dead celebrations in Uruapan, in the state of Michoacán, by a gunman who shot him seven times at close range before being killed himself.
In the months prior, Manzo Rodríguez had publicly appealed to Sheinbaum on social media for help to confront criminal groups in the region.
