Mexico’s first female president sexually harassed on street: ‘This is what all Mexican women experience’

A screenshot from a YouTube video shows an intoxicated man sexually harassing Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on a street in Mexico City on November 4 (local time)

Mexico’s first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was sexually harassed by an intoxicated man while walking along a street in Mexico City. President Sheinbaum has filed a criminal complaint against the man.

At a regular press briefing on November 5 (local time), Sheinbaum said, “While walking from the National Palace to the Ministry of Education building about five minutes away, I sensed someone approaching me.” She explained that she had chosen to walk instead of drive due to heavy traffic. “I experienced this kind of thing even when I was a student before becoming president,” she said. “This is something that happened to me as a woman, but it’s something that happens to women all across our country.” She continued, “If they can do this to the president, what must they be doing to other women in Mexico? I have filed this complaint on behalf of all of them.”

Video footage circulating on social media shows President Sheinbaum walking with aides and security personnel when she stops to greet citizens. A man then approaches her from behind, presses his lips to her neck, and touches her upper body. A security guard appears to restrain the man, while Sheinbaum, maintaining her composure, tells those around her, “Don’t worry.”

Despite the incident, the president said she would not increase her security detail or change the way she interacts with the public. The Associated Press said, “Indeed, if Mexico’s president is not exempt from street harassment, then it’s not difficult to imagine what women with hours long commutes on public transportation are experiencing daily.” It added that “gender violence catapulted to the highest-profile platform” in Mexico.

Clara Brugada, mayor of Mexico City, said the perpetrator had been arrested and would face due legal process. “We reaffirm our zero-tolerance policy toward violence against women,” she said. Brugada is the second female mayor of Mexico City, following President Sheinbaum, who was the first.

Mexico, where patriarchal culture remains deeply rooted, continues to report hundreds of thousands of gender-based crimes each year, including femicide, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Marina Reyna, executive director of the Guerrero Association Against Violence Toward Women, said, “People stop reporting because nothing happens even when they do,” adding that she hopes President Sheinbaum’s decision to speak out will push the police and other institutions to change how such cases are handled.

According to investigators, the suspect claimed during questioning that he was too drunk to remember the incident and did not realize “she was the president.”

※This article was translated by an AI tool and edited by a professional translator.