Fighting has broken out in the Ukrainian parliament, after a perturbed lawmaker physically picked up Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk as he was giving a speech, lifting him from the podium. A mass brawl ensued.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Sputnik
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Brawl as Ukrainian lawmaker hoists Prime Minister Yatseniuk from podium
01:19
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There were rowdy scenes in the Ukrainian parliament after Yatseniuk was pulled from the podium and hoisted into the air by a political opponent.
The premier had been defending his government's record when lawmaker Oleh Barna approached him, presenting him with a bunch of red roses.
Yatseniuk went along with the apparently sarcastic gesture before Barna pulled him away from the platform, lifting him into the air by his waist and groin. Members of Yatseniuk's People's Front intervened and forced Barna to put down the prime minister, who was still clutching the flowers.
When lawmakers pack a punch
While defending his government's record, Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk was pulled from the podium by a lawmaker. It's far from the first time parliamentary debates have come to blows. DW examines.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/L. Acosta
Unruly in Ukraine
Fighting broke out among members of Ukraine's ruling coalition in parliament on December 11 after lawmaker Oleh Barna, a member of President Petro Poroshenko's bloc, walked over to Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, presenting him sarcastically with a bunch of red roses. He then grabbed him around the waist, lifted him off his feet and dragged him from the podium.
Image: Reuters/V. Ogirenko
Tear gas - the new normal
Kosovo's opposition lawmakers yet again used tear gas in the debating hall on November 30. It was the fifth tear gas attack in the Pristina parliament since early October.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/V.Xhemaij
Hard blow
Now, you would not expect such behavior from the usually reticent Japanese. The irony is difficult to miss given that these lawmakers, pictured in September 2015, are actually protesting about Japan planning to send its military to fight abroad.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Y. Tsuno
Flying eggs and smoke bombs
Ukrainian lawmakers are not averse to rowdy scenes. Violence broke out in the Ukranian parliament in April 2010 as it ratified an extension to Russia's Black Sea naval base. The then-speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn was forced to take refuge behind an umbrella to protect himself from flying eggs and smoke bombs.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Marusenko
The Russian connection
Russia almost always seems to bring out the "beast" in Ukranian lawmakers. A brawl erupted in Ukraine's parliament in May 2012 over a bill that sought to make Russian the official language in certain parts of the country.
Image: dapd
Beef politics
The state assembly of Jammu and Kashmir in India witnessed violent scenes in October 2015 when an independent lawmaker, Engineer Rashid (CL-back) was thrashed by ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) legislators for hosting a beef party in protest against the beef ban in the state.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Mustafa
A history of brawls
Taiwanese lawmakers, like their Ukrainian Counterparts, have been known to throw punches at each other. Rival legislators came to blows in May 2007 (pictured) to protest against the electoral reform bill, throwing the house into utter chaos. Taiwanese lawmakers have been involved in at least five major brawls in the past decade.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/L. Hsin-Teh
Serial offenders
South Korean legislators have also participated in several incidents of violence. Here opposition party members try to enter a parliamentary committee room barricaded by ruling party legislators in Seoul on December 18, 2008. The ruling party members barricaded themselves in a room as tensions soared over a attempt to ratify a US free trade pact.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Young-Han
Total chaos
The South African parliament descended into a chaos in February, 2015 when members of former ANC youth leader Julius Malema’s party disrupted President Jacob Zuma's annual address. There were clashes with security officials after the members were ordered out of the chamber. Several people were injured in the brawl.
Image: Reuters/R. Bosch
'Bloody' blows
Fist-fights broke out in Venezuela's National Assembly in April 2013, injuring a number of lawmakers during an angry session linked to an election dispute. The opposition said seven of its parliamentarians were attacked and hurt, including Julio Borges (in picture).
Image: Reuters
Desperate measures
Mexican deputies from the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) attempt to block one of the entrances to Congress to prevent Felipe Calderon from being sworn-in as the new president in December 2006. Calderon succeeded in taking the oath despite the fist-fight that erupted in Congress hours earlier between rival lawmakers.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/L. Acosta
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A full-scale brawl followed as members of Poroshenko's joined the fray, with lawmakers from both sides jostling one another furiously. The unrest had continued for several minutes before the deputies returned to their seats.
The incident was symptomatic of deep rifts within the pro-European coalition that arose after the downfall of pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovich in February 2014. However, the separate parties of president and premier have become increasingly split. Yatseniuk is increasingly under pressure as the ruling coalition struggles to deal with an economic crisis and conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Brawl as Ukrainian lawmaker hoists Prime Minister Yatseniuk from podium
01:19
This browser does not support the video element.
The outbreak of violence had interrupted a question and answer session with Yatseniuk after he delivered a summary of his government's appointment.
"I told you a year ago that nobody is going to promise the moon," Yatseniuk had said, appearing to defend his cabinet from accusations they had not delivered on promises of reforms.
