Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Wednesday that she had filed a legal complaint against a man who groped and tried to kiss her as she walked between meetings in Mexico City — a day after footage of the incident went viral online.

“If this can happen to the president, what does that mean for young women across our country?” said Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female head of state.

“No man has the right to invade a woman’s personal space.”

The video, which was widely shared before some users took it down, reignited public debate about women’s safety in a country long plagued by machismo and gender-based violence.

The episode also drew scrutiny over Sheinbaum’s security arrangements. Like her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, she travels with limited protection and often mingles freely with crowds. She said she had no intention of changing that, insisting: “We must stay close to the people.”

The assault occurred on Tuesday in Mexico City’s historic centre as Sheinbaum greeted members of the public while walking from the National Palace to the Ministry of Education.

In the video, a middle-aged man can be seen putting his arm around her, touching her chest, and attempting to kiss her. She pushes him away before a staff member intervenes. Her security detail did not appear to be nearby at the time. Sheinbaum said the man seemed to be intoxicated.

Backlash over media coverage

Sheinbaum criticised the newspaper Reforma for publishing images of the assault, calling it “re-victimisation” and a breach of journalistic ethics.

“The use of such images is itself a crime,” she said, citing legislation against digital violence.

“I am awaiting an apology from the newspaper,” Sheinbaum added.

The federal Women’s Ministry — established under Sheinbaum’s administration — issued a statement urging women to report acts of violence while calling on the media “not to reproduce content that violates the integrity of women.”

Nonetheless, feminist groups have long accused Sheinbaum of failing to adequately confront gender-based violence. Critics cite weak investigations and poor prosecution rates in femicide cases — the killing of women because of their gender.

Official figures show Mexico recorded 821 femicides in 2024 and 501 through September this year, though rights advocates believe the true number is far higher.

Renewed focus on harassment laws

Ana Yeli Pérez of the National Citizen Observatory on Femicide said the assault had brought the issue of violence against women back into national focus.

“It’s deplorable and must be condemned — but it also symbolises the violence women face every day,” she said.

Sheinbaum added that sexual harassment should be a “criminal offence punishable by law” and instructed the Women’s Ministry to review legal codes across Mexico.

Currently, sexual harassment is criminalised in roughly half of Mexico’s states, as well as in the capital.

Local media identified the man involved as Uriel Rivera, who was arrested on Tuesday evening at around 9 p.m., according to official records.

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