Ecuadorian ambassador Rodrigo Riofrío Machuca is facing calls for his resignation in Perú.

A Peruvian TV channel broadcast a report (video in Spanish) about a mother and daughter who claimed that Riofrío assaulted them in a supermarket queue after they cut in front of him.

The Ecuadorian Foreign Affairs department has issued a short statement in which Riofrío apologizes for the confrontation, but sustains that the mother and daughter started the physical violence and that a female family member of his was the first victim.

“Ecuador’s ambassador deeply regrets the incident and communicates his public apologies to the ladies of Perú, which does not mean he accept the version of events presented by certain media outlets,” the statement says.

Cristina Castro, the mother, told the TV cameras that Riofrío started yelling at her after she moved ahead of him in the line. She says her daughter came to her defense, and was then beaten and kicked on the floor by the ambassador.

She said Riofrío yelled: “Ignorant Peruvians! That’s why this country doesn’t develop, it’s full of indigenous.”

In his communique, Riofrío says he “never emitted expressions that could offend the people of Perú, for whom I feel the deepest respect.”

Perú vice-president Marisol Espinoza, meanwhile, has asked for the ambassador to be removed from Perú

Social media was full of calls for his resignation. A hashtag called “Get out Ecuadorian ambassador” trended in Perú for hours.

The Peruvian Minister of Women’s Affairs tweeted, asking her country’s department of foreign affairs to investigate the incident, saying women who report violence need to be listened to.

Update May 7: Both Ecuador and Peru summoned their ambassadors and tensions between the neighbouring countries increased after Ecuadors president stated that he would stand behind his ambassador, who he believed to have been the victim of the attack in the supermarket. Politicians in Peru were publicly displeased about this decision.

However, this week ambassador Riofrío announced he would recuse himself voluntarily from the Peru post, allowing Ecuador to send a new ambassador. Peru announced their own ambassador to Quito would also be reassigned to a different country and replaced. 

*The headline of this story has been modified to include "with a magazine", after video evidence surfaced of the confrontation inside the supermarket. Castro alleges the confrontation continued outside the store, and more violence occured.