Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was sexually harassed by a man while walking through the historic centre of Mexico City on Wednesday, sparking outrage and raising concerns over presidential security and women’s safety in the country.
Video footage circulating online shows the man approaching the president from the side, putting his arm around her and attempting to kiss her. He then appears to grope her from behind before being swiftly restrained by a security officer.
Local media reported that the man was arrested and charged with sexual harassment and sexual abuse. The incident drew widespread condemnation from citizens, activists, and public officials.
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada expressed solidarity with the president, writing on X: “If they touch the president, they touch all of us. Today, when the president is harassed just for being a woman, we are all harassed.”
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The assault has renewed debates about the safety measures around President Sheinbaum, who, like her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has chosen not to use the military protection unit traditionally assigned to the nation’s leader.
Sheinbaum, 63, made history this year as Mexico’s first female president. Women’s rights and gender equality form a major part of her political agenda, as sexual violence remains widespread in the country.
A national statistics survey shows that nearly half of all women in Mexico have suffered some form of sexual violence in their lifetime.
The attack has intensified calls for stronger protections for women in public spaces and greater accountability for perpetrators of gender-based violence.
NAN
