When lawmakers pack a punch

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.