On December 15, 2025, a heated session in Mexico City’s local Congress spiralled into physical chaos as female lawmakers from rival political parties clashed at the podium, triggering scenes of disorder inside the legislative chamber.
Video of scuffle goes viral
The 1-minute-14-second video, sourced from Associated Press footage and widely shared on social media, opens with a wide shot of the chamber. Lawmakers are seen seated at their desks, facing a raised podium occupied by the presiding officer. The focus soon shifts to the podium area, which is crowded with mostly female opposition lawmakers from the National Action Party (PAN), who had physically occupied the space in protest.
Hair-pulling and shoving dominate confrontation
In the most prominent moment of the footage, a lawmaker from the ruling Morena party is seen reaching over and yanking the hair of a PAN protester, causing her head to jerk back sharply. The PAN lawmaker retaliates with slaps and pushes, escalating the confrontation. Elbows fly and bodies jostle in a tight cluster, with hair-pulling, slapping and aggressive shoving dominating the scene as women from both sides struggle for control of the podium.
Male lawmakers and security personnel are visible nearby, but they do not immediately intervene forcefully as the clash unfolds.
Budget dispute sparks protest
According to international media reports, the incident began when opposition lawmakers from the right-wing PAN most of them women occupied the podium to protest a budget proposal introduced by the ruling leftist Morena party.
Opposition alleges breach of transparency agreement
The opposition accused Morena of breaching a prior agreement to establish a tripartite, multi-party transparency body. The proposed body was meant to replace Mexico City’s independent Institute of Transparency, Access to Public Information, Data Protection and Accountability, which PAN lawmakers argue is essential for ensuring government oversight and accountability.
