These politicians threw down! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be looking at the most notable incidents from around the world where politicians have resorted to violence, often within the parliament, to resolve their differences.
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:02 >> Let them fight.
00:03 >> Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be looking at the most notable incidents
00:07 from around the world where politicians have resorted to violence,
00:10 often within the parliament, to resolve their differences.
00:13 >> One heartbeat away from the presidency, not a single vote cast in my name.
00:17 Democracy is so overrated.
00:20 >> Mass brawl in Turkish parliament.
00:22 Political disagreements between parliamentary members are common around
00:25 the world.
00:26 >> Why then you should discover a brace of unmeriting, proud, violent,
00:30 testy politicians, alias fools, as any in Rome.
00:36 >> But in 2016, Turkish lawmakers decided to work out their differences with their
00:40 fists and legs.
00:41 The dispute revolved around changes to the constitution that could strip
00:44 lawmakers of their immunity from prosecution while in office.
00:47 This proposal was backed by the ruling AK party and
00:50 was believed to be targeted at members of the pro-Kurdish opposition party, HDP.
00:54 >> Politicians, you already mentioned, I had no idea,
00:57 they're twice as bad as anything else.
00:59 >> The dispute quickly turned physical, with politicians in suits and
01:02 ties leaping over desks to launch blows at their opponents.
01:06 In the end, multiple MPs reportedly sustained injuries, and
01:08 we're pretty sure the conflict did not lead to any resolution.
01:11 >> Boy, that escalated quickly.
01:14 I mean, that really got out of hand fast.
01:17 >> Fight breaks out in Georgian parliament.
01:19 Sometimes political tensions from one country can spill over into another,
01:23 resulting in conflict there.
01:24 That was the case in December 2013, when lawmakers in Georgia came to blows over
01:28 Ukraine's integration into the EU.
01:30 >> Fellow states are trying to convince him to green light EU membership talks and
01:35 new funding also for Ukraine.
01:37 >> The catalyst for this clash came when Georgi Baramidze,
01:41 a member of the Georgian opposition party National Movement,
01:44 called on his fellow lawmakers to support Ukraine.
01:47 Their response was anything but diplomatic.
01:49 >> I checked the list, rubber tubing, gas, saw, gloves,
01:54 cuffs, razor wire, hatchet, ladders, and my mitts.
01:59 >> MPs threw documents in the air and resorted to exchanging kicks and punches.
02:03 Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, just a few bruised egos and
02:06 perhaps a lesson or two in parliamentary etiquette.
02:09 >> Being a vampire and a politician, it can be hard to make friends.
02:12 >> Hong Kong lawmakers duke it out.
02:13 The 2019 Hong Kong protests initially erupted in response to a proposed
02:17 extradition bill in the country's parliament.
02:19 >> [FOREIGN]
02:29 >> This amendment sought to make it easier for
02:33 criminal suspects to be extradited to China,
02:35 which would have further increased China's influence over Hong Kong.
02:38 But just as the protests on the streets escalated into violence,
02:41 so did the parliamentary debates.
02:43 Pro-democracy blocs physically clashed with their pro-establishment counterparts,
02:47 resulting in chaotic scenes of pulling, tugging, and piling on top of each other.
02:50 >> Many residents have slammed the amendments,
02:52 saying it weakens Hong Kong's independence.
02:56 At least one person was transported from the chamber on a stretcher
02:59 following the tussle.
03:01 >> One lawmaker fell flat on his face and had to be evacuated on a stretcher.
03:04 At least this saga saw a resolution of sorts as the extradition bill was later
03:08 withdrawn from parliamentary discussion.
03:10 >> There's a time for fighting and there's a time for singing.
03:12 Now you teach us to sing.
03:15 >> Congo's parliament descends into chaos.
03:18 Chairs, buckets, batons, these were some of the everyday items lawmakers in
03:21 the Democratic Republic of Congo turned into weapons after
03:24 parliamentary brawl erupted in December 2020.
03:27 >> Take your shot.
03:28 [SOUND]
03:31 >> Tensions arose when President Felix Jisikady sought to dissolve his alliance
03:35 with former President Joseph Kabila, whose coalition controlled the parliament.
03:39 Lawmakers loyal to Kabila disagreed with this move and
03:41 decided to express their dissent in the loudest way possible.
03:44 They tore apart the parliament and hurled buckets and chairs at each other.
03:47 >> Chair, give us a chair.
03:49 >> Take your shot.
03:52 >> One man was struck so badly he suffered severe injuries and bled profusely.
03:56 If this was the only way to resolve conflicts,
03:59 we doubt these lawmakers would be getting any legislative work done.
04:02 >> A politician's words, so
04:03 that young fellows like yourself can wear a suit and a tie and have a job.
04:10 >> Water and fistfights in Kosovo's parliament.
04:13 It all began with a picture depicting Kosovo's Prime Minister,
04:16 Albin Kurti, as Pinocchio.
04:17 In July 2023, while Kurti was addressing parliament,
04:21 a lawmaker walked up to the stage and placed the picture on the podium.
04:24 Shortly after the Deputy Prime Minister tore it up, another lawmaker approached
04:27 Kurti with a bottle of water and splashed it all over him.
04:29 >> I'm wet, I'm wet, I'm hysterical and I'm wet.
04:36 I'm in pain and I'm wet.
04:42 >> This sparked a physical altercation that quickly escalated into a free for
04:45 all.
04:46 Grown men and women set just the perfect example for
04:48 their kids as they descended into fistfights on the parliament floor.
04:52 >> The royal rumble lasted for several minutes before cooler heads prevailed.
04:56 The Prime Minister was escorted out of the room and
04:59 a break was called for 30 minutes.
05:01 >> The brawl served as the tipping point of a heated debate that had persisted over
05:04 Kurti's handling of tensions in Kosovo's northern region.
05:08 >> Careful, Aquaman, they're stronger than you are.
05:10 [MUSIC]
05:12 >> That remains to be seen.
05:14 >> The Prescott Punch.
05:15 Not all political fights unfold within the parliament or
05:18 even solely between politicians.
05:20 >> Come and have a go if you think you're not enough.
05:23 >> Back in 2001, then British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott faced
05:27 an unexpected confrontation on his way to an election rally in Rill, North Wales.
05:32 A protester identified as Craig Evans threw an egg at Prescott,
05:35 which struck him in the face.
05:36 >> Fire, fire.
05:40 >> Without even thinking, Prescott responded with a left-handed jab,
05:43 sparking a brief scuffle between the two.
05:45 Evans wrestled Prescott against a small wall before police officers and
05:49 bystanders intervened and led the politician away.
05:52 While the struggle may have been undignifying for a man of his status,
05:55 Prescott refused to apologize and, surprisingly,
05:58 gained public approval for his reaction.
06:00 >> Tonight a Labour Party spokesman said John Prescott was attacked by a protester,
06:05 and he defended himself from that attack as anyone would in the circumstances.
06:09 They added, we understand a man is being questioned and we can't comment further.
06:14 >> Japan's parliament brawls over pacifism.
06:16 Since World War II, Japan has maintained a largely pacifist stance,
06:19 deploying its military purely for self-defense purposes.
06:22 In 2015, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed a controversial bill that would
06:27 allow Japanese forces to assist in defending its allies,
06:30 even if the country faced no direct attack.
06:32 But opposition parties have vowed to stand in the bill's way.
06:35 >> We have reached a very important point right now.
06:42 We will do whatever we can to prevent the vote from going through.
06:45 >> While debating the bill in a parliamentary session,
06:47 Japanese lawmakers, in their oh-so-pacifist nature, leapt over their desks and
06:52 scrambled on top of each other in a bid to prevent the vote from proceeding.
06:55 [SOUND] Unsurprisingly,
06:59 the scuffle did nothing to hinder the bill's progress.
07:01 Didn't anyone remind these lawmakers that there should be no fighting in the war
07:04 room? >> Gentlemen,
07:05 you can't fight in here.
07:06 This is the war room.
07:08 What is going on here?
07:09 I demand an explanation.
07:10 >> Punch up in Venezuelan parliament.
07:12 The 2013 presidential election in Venezuela concluded with Nicolás Maduro
07:17 winning by a very slim margin.
07:18 Lawmakers from the opposition party considered the contest fraudulent and
07:22 refused to recognize Maduro as president.
07:24 >> For most of the people here, this is a first step towards opposing what they
07:28 call is the dictatorship of President Nicolás Maduro.
07:32 >> In response, the ruling majority proposed a measure to block opposition
07:35 members from speaking in the parliament until they acknowledge the election
07:38 outcome.
07:38 Naturally, this didn't go down well with the affected lawmakers.
07:42 >> Brother, you are going down.
07:45 >> While protesting the measure,
07:46 the politicians devolved into a violent clash on the floor,
07:50 with at least one lawmaker sustaining bruises to his face.
07:53 Just like two kids fighting on the playground,
07:54 neither side admitted responsibility, instead blaming each other for
07:58 the incident.
07:59 >> I don't have to know anything except that they love it.
08:01 Sorry, Maya, I walk with a different crowd now.
08:04 And as you can see, I am quite the influence on them.
08:08 >> Ukraine's bouquet of scuffles.
08:10 While delivering his annual address before parliament in December 2015,
08:13 then Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk received a pleasant surprise.
08:18 One of the MPs, Ole Barna, walked up to the podium and handed him a bouquet of
08:21 roses.
08:22 But before Yatsenyuk could process his unusual gift,
08:25 Barna delivered yet another unexpected move.
08:28 >> It's time.
08:30 [MUSIC]
08:36 >> He grabbed the Prime Minister from behind and
08:38 physically removed him from the podium.
08:39 Barna was quickly restrained by another individual, but
08:42 the chaos didn't stop there.
08:43 >> I'll show you, when the chips are down, these civilized people,
08:50 they'll eat each other.
08:51 >> Soon, a mob of other lawmakers joined the fray,
08:54 turning the once ambient session into a cacophony of shouts and mayhem.
08:58 Who said politics can't be a spectator sport?
09:00 >> They're lushing it up and fighting all the time.
09:02 And if somebody gets killed, so if somebody gets killed, they don't care.
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09:20 [MUSIC]
09:21 Time when these lawmakers face off, again.
09:24 Violent brawls seem to be a part of the job for lawmakers in Taiwan.
09:27 On numerous occasions, MPs in the East Asian country have made headlines for
09:31 physical altercations within the parliamentary chambers.
09:34 But perhaps none was quite as controversial as this July 2017 clash.
09:38 >> On my challenge, by the ancient laws of combat,
09:44 we are met at this chosen ground to settle for good and all.
09:49 >> While debating budget proposals for an infrastructure development plan,
09:53 lawmakers from opposing parties attacked each other with
09:55 everything at their disposal.
09:57 Their fists, legs, chairs, and even water balloons.
10:00 Amidst the chaos, a whistle can be heard seemingly attempting to restore order.
10:04 But the politicians paid no heed and proceeded with their skirmishes.
10:07 >> Come about.
10:08 [SOUND]
10:12 >> If the Taiwanese people ever wondered if their lawmakers were fighting for
10:16 them, they probably have their answer.
10:18 >> For Frodo.
10:19 [MUSIC]
10:29 >> Which of these political fights stunned you the most?
10:31 Let us know in the comments below.
10:33 >> I hope that what we've done here will be enough to stop it from ever happening
10:37 again, but I need to know you've accepted reality.
10:41 >> Did you enjoy this video?
10:43 Check out these other clips from WatchMojo.
10:45 And be sure to subscribe and
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10:49 [MUSIC]
10:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]