Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum was groped by a man while greeting citizens in Mexico City, an incident that has raised fresh questions about security around the country’s leader and the wider issue of sexual harassment faced by women.
A widely circulated video from Tuesday shows a drunk man approaching Sheinbaum, attempting to kiss her neck and grabbing her from behind. The president quickly pushed his hands away and turned to face him before aides stepped in to separate them.
As the man was led away, Sheinbaum appeared calm, saying, “Don’t worry.”
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Police later confirmed the man’s arrest, and Sheinbaum announced on Wednesday that she would press charges.
“This is something I experienced as a woman, but it is something that all women in our country experience,” she said at her daily press briefing. “If I do not file a complaint, where does that leave all Mexican women?”
The incident has also drawn criticism over the lack of visible security around Sheinbaum, though she said she would not increase protection, insisting that staying close to citizens remains part of her leadership style.
“We cannot distance ourselves from the people,” she said. “That would be to deny where we come from and who we are.”
See the viral clip showing the incident as it happened: x.com/chubbytrevno/status/1985902565058609273