A physical altercation erupted in Mexico’s Senate on Wednesday, following a heated debate regarding US military intervention to combat drug cartels. The assault included participation from Gerardo Fernández Noroña, the congressional president from the administration’s party Morena. It included Alejandro “Alito” Moreno, head of the somewhat moribund opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
That clash started almost immediately after lawmakers finished belting out the national anthem, the traditional end to any day’s legislative proceedings in the state. As Fernández Noroña tried to leave the stage, Moreno went after him and pulled him. Things got out of control pretty fast as a second legislator joined the fight, swinging a fist at Fernández Noroña.
To try to remove himself from the fight, Ángel Fernández Noroña fled. But Moreno didn’t pack up and go home. He reached for him again, igniting a violent tug of war that erupted as the two men began pushing each other. During the violent encounter, Moreno reportedly backhanded Fernández Noroña across the neck.
“He started to provoke me, to touch me, to pull at me,” – Gerardo Fernández Noroña
The situation escalated further after one of Fernández Noroña’s aides came on-stage, trying to physically separate the two men. Unfortunately, Moreno injured the aide, knocking him to the ground in the process. After the olay, Fernández Noroña filed a criminal complaint against Moreno due to the physical altercation.
During the chaos, Moreno blamed the Morena party for controlling the legislative agenda to quash opposition voices’ votes. He stated, “When Noroña crossed the line, he knew exactly what he was doing. I will always respond head-on, with character and without fear, to defend Mexico and give it the direction it deserves.”
Behind this specific dispute lies long-simmering tension between the ruling Morena party and its allies. It is about holding the opposition parties to account, especially PRI and PAN. Furthermore, the party of current President López Obrador, Morena, accused these same opposition parties of advocating for US military intervention in Mexico to combat cartel violence. PRI and PAN representatives refuted these allegations.
A senator from PAN had previously remarked on Fox News that “help from the United States to fight the cartels in Mexico is absolutely welcome.” True or not, this comment provided plenty of ammunition for the charge of soliciting foreign military aid. Additionally, former president Donald Trump is said to have approved military action against drug cartels defined as terrorist groups in Latin American countries.