IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

The president of Mexico was forced to fight off a man who touched her body and tried to kiss her as she greeted crowds.

Claudia Sheinbaum, who continued to smile throughout the assault, was heard to say “Don’t worry” as she turned to face the attacker and pushed away his hands, before a political aide stepped in to help.

As footage of the incident in Mexico City on Tuesday spread online, questions were raised about the apparent absence of the president’s security detail, days after the assassination of one of the country’s mayors.

Ms Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference that she has pressed charges against the man, who was arrested shortly after the assault took place.

“If I do not report the crime, what condition will all Mexican women be left in? If they do this to the president, what will happen to all the young women in our country?” Ms Sheinbaum told reporters on Wednesday.

Pamela Cerderia, a Mexican journalist, said: “No woman should go through what President Sheinbaum went through today. Will there be consequences? And what about her safety? Because this is not a mere oversight, it is irresponsibility.”

The Mexican president said she initially did not register what was happening, but “obviously felt this person’s closeness”.

“It was only after I saw the videos that I understood what had really happened,” Ms Sheinbaum said.

Ms Sheinbaum added that the man seemed to be intoxicated and is suspected of harassing other women that day.

She also called for stricter laws on sexual harassment – which is not a federal crime in Mexico – to send a message that “loud and clear, no, women’s personal space must not be violated”.

The Mexican president, who was elected in Oct 2024, has made the country’s epidemic of violence against women a key issue for her government.

More than 70 per cent of Mexican women and girls aged 15 and over have experienced sexual or physical violence within their lifetimes, according to a 2021 survey from Inegi, an autonomous public body that collects data on Mexico’s population.

Ms Sheinbaum has been open about her past experiences of harassment, including an incident on public transportation when she was just 12 years old.

The assault on Tuesday took place in a week when the Mexican president repeatedly had to address questions about political violence in the country.

On Saturday, the mayor of Uruapan was assassinated in front of dozens of people gathered in a piazza for Day of the Dead festivities.

Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, who had spoken out against drug cartels, died in hospital after being shot several times by a gunman.

In response to the killing, Ms Sheinbaum unveiled a new security strategy, which she said would address the root cause of violence and put more National Guard officers on the streets.

However, she rejected claims that Donald Trump was preparing to send US Army troops to Mexico to confront the country’s powerful drug cartels.

She said: “It’s not going to happen. We do not agree with any process of interference or interventionism. I’ve always said, ‘thank you very much, President Trump’. But no, Mexico is a free, independent and sovereign country.”

Mexico and the US have a long history of collaboration when it comes to tackling drug traffickers but Washington has never sent troops across the border to confront the drug cartels. (Yahoo.com)