Mark Antony’s guards react violently. In the chaos, the Senate and the public believe the attack was a planned assassination attempt on Antony himself.
While the fall of the Republic was a complex process driven by Julius Caesar's ambition and Senate opposition, the show depicts Pullo as the "butterfly effect" that makes war inevitable: How Titus Pullo Brought Down the RepublicRome :...
Claiming his life is in danger and his sacred rights as a Tribune have been violated, Antony flees Rome to join Caesar. Caesar uses this "attack" on a legal representative of the people as his primary excuse to cross the Rubicon , effectively starting the civil war. Historical Reality vs. Fiction Mark Antony’s guards react violently