Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday she will file criminal charges against a man who groped her during a public appearance, describing the assault as an attack on all women in a country plagued by gender-based violence.

A video widely circulated on social media shows Sheinbaum greeting supporters outside the National Palace on Tuesday when a man approached from behind, tried to kiss her neck and touched her inappropriately. She pulled away immediately as security personnel restrained the suspect, who was taken into custody at the scene.

Speaking at her morning press conference, Sheinbaum said she felt compelled to pursue legal action.

“If I don’t file a complaint, what will happen to other Mexican women?” she said. “If they can do this to the president, what happens to the rest of us?”

Sheinbaum said she was informed that the suspect had also allegedly harassed other women in the crowd. Filing a complaint, she added, was necessary to draw “a clear line” against such behavior.

The president, Mexico’s first woman to hold the office, noted that the incident was part of a long pattern familiar to many women.

“This is something I’ve experienced as a woman — as many women in our country have experienced. I faced it as a student, as a citizen, and now as president,” she said.

Women’s rights groups condemned the incident as emblematic of Mexico’s entrenched machismo culture. Activists highlighted the country’s severe gender-violence crisis, where an estimated 98% of femicide cases go unpunished.

Although Sheinbaum campaigned on combating gender-based violence, advocacy organizations say progress has been uneven since she took office.

The episode has also renewed debate about presidential security. Sheinbaum has maintained former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s practice of close, unfiltered interaction with crowds despite the risks. She said Wednesday she has no plans to change her approach.

“I will continue interacting with the people,” she said.

The assault occurred just days after the killing of Carlos Manzo, mayor of Uruapan in Michoacán, who was gunned down during Day of the Dead festivities after publicly urging the president to increase federal support against drug cartels.

Mexico continues to grapple with widespread political violence; around 35 candidates were assassinated during the 2024 election cycle, making it the deadliest on record.

Since taking office, Sheinbaum has pledged to strengthen public security efforts and deepen cooperation with U.S. President Donald Trump in the fight against fentanyl trafficking.