Ukraine News "Rumble in the Rada"!

Debate descended into fisticuffs in the Ukrainian Parliament late Thursday as lawmakers argued over a bill that would give the Russian language equal status to Ukrainian in some areas.

Tensions were high in Ukraine on Friday as opposition lawmakers blocked a session of Parliament and the speaker called for new elections after a violent bout on the floor of the legislature that some observers have dubbed the “rumble in the Rada.”

Video of the fighting — which left at least one opposition politician bloodied and saw another flipped over a banister, his feet flailing in the air — quickly captured the attention of the international press, joining other ignominious images of lawmaking by other means. The Lede has cataloged past clips of such episodes.

Nor was it the first time that the Ukrainian chamber was transformed into a wood-paneled wrestling ring. In December 2010, pro-government and opposition lawmakers squared off in a huge brawl over criminal charges against the opposition leader and former prime minister, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, that left five people injured.

Ms. Tymoshenko, convicted on charges of abuse of office in a case that has been condemned by the West as politically driven, is currently serving a seven-year prison term.