MEXICO CITY: A man has been arrested after allegedly groping Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum while she was walking through the historic center of the capital, local media reported, quoting DPA and BTA.
A viral video circulating on social media shows the man approaching President Sheinbaum from the side, putting his arm around her, and attempting to kiss her before trying to touch her inappropriately. A police officer quickly intervened, pushing the man away and taking him into custody.
The prosecutor’s office has charged the suspect with sexual harassment. Speaking later at her press briefing, President Sheinbaum said this was not the first time she had faced such behavior.
“I decided to press charges because this is something I have experienced before, as a woman, even before becoming president,” she said.
The incident has sparked a debate about the president’s security and sexual violence against women in Mexico.
Despite the breach, Sheinbaum, like her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, continues to travel with minimal security, preferring close contact with the public.
Sheinbaum stated that the man appeared to be intoxicated and that most people she met during her walk had been respectful.
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada condemned the assault, writing on social media, “If they harass the president, they harass all of us.”
Sheinbaum, 63, is Mexico’s first female president and has made women’s rights a central part of her political agenda.
