A televised debate among election rivals for mayor of Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city, descended into chaos when one struggling candidate whacked another with a chair and was expelled.

During Sunday's (Sept 15) debate among six hopefuls, candidate Jose Luiz Datena, a TV presenter, exploded when opponent Pablo Marcal, a far-right influencer, said Datena was not man enough to hit him as he had previously threatened.

Datena had threatened to hit Marcal in a prior debate when Marcal raised a 2019 complaint of sexual harassment against Datena by a coworker. The coworker withdrew her complaint, but later said she had been intimidated into silence.

In his rage on Sunday, Datena picked up a chair and brought it crashing down on Marcal's shoulder. Datena, who is polling in fifth place for the Oct 6 election, was expelled from the debate. Marcal left to get medical attention for a bruised rib, his spokesperson said.

The remaining candidates continued the debate.

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