INTENSE

Fistfight Breaks Out at Venezuelan Parliament

Black eyes, bloody faces abound.

Oh Hugo Chávez, how things have fallen apart without you. Venezuela’s Parliament session got heated on Tuesday, with literal fistfights breaking out, leaving at least seven legislators bruised and bloodied. The fighting stems from the opposition party’s refusal to acknowledge President Nicolás Maduro—Chávez’s hand-picked successor—as the winner of the April 14 election. “They can beat us, jail us, kill us, but we will not sell out our principles,” said Julio Borges, one of the opposition’s legislators. Both sides accused the other of starting the melee, which turned violent after the National Assembly (controlled by Maduro’s party) passed a measure refusing to allow the opposition the right to speak until they recognized Maduro as president.