Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has filed a formal complaint after a man groped and tried to kiss her in public while she was walking between meetings in Mexico City. The disturbing incident, which was captured on video and went viral before being removed from several accounts, has once again brought attention to the widespread issue of violence and harassment faced by women in Mexico.
“If this can happen to the president, what hope is there for young women across our country?” said Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president. “No man has the right to invade a woman’s personal space.”
centerThe assault occurred on Tuesday in Mexico City’s historic centre as Sheinbaum greeted citizens while walking from the National Palace to the Ministry of Education. The footage shows a middle-aged man wrapping his arm around her, touching her chest, and trying to kiss her before she pushed him away. Her team quickly intervened, though her security detail was not immediately nearby. She later said the man appeared to be intoxicated.
“re-victimization”Sheinbaum criticized the newspaper Reforma for publishing photos of the incident, calling it “re-victimisation” and demanding an apology. “Using that image is also a form of violence,” she said, referencing laws against digital abuse.
—figuresMexico’s Women’s Ministry urged victims to report gender-based violence while asking media outlets not to share harmful or invasive content. However, activists have long criticised Sheinbaum’s administration for not doing enough to combat femicide and sexual violence. Official data shows 821 femicides were recorded in 2024 and 501 cases up to September 2025 — figures believed to be underestimated.
