Police used tear gas, pepper spray and reportedly rubber bullets, as demonstrators staged their rally before the game, which ended in Brazil beating Japan 3-0. Protesters held posters reading “We don’t need the World Cup” and “We need money for hospitals and education.” The demonstrators also chanted slogans such as “FIFA go away!” referring to the Federation of International Football Associations, which awarded the hosting rights to Brazil. Protests took place across Brazil, with hundreds holding a rally near Maracana Stadium in the country’s biggest city, Rio de Janeiro. The rally turned violent, as it did in Brasilia, with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets before the start of another Confederations Cup match, which ended in a tie between Italy and Mexico. Demonstrators voiced their anger over the transport fare hikes, as well as the amount of money spent on the 2014 World Cup. Protesters all across Brazil also posted messages on social media urging visitors from abroad not to come for the World Cup. On Facebook, the message reads, “Our governors have wasted billions building stadiums that should cost half [what they have] and won’t bring any improvement for the quality of life of the population. Meanwhile, people are dying in the hospital lines due to lack of infrastructure.” The message ends with the following, “Brazilians are sick of it. This World Cup is gonna be messy, tourist-deceiving and dangerous, not to mention disrespectful to our people.” Initially, in 2007, the government stressed the money spent on the organization of the World Cup would be private money, but eventually, over 90 percent of the money being spent on football stadiums has ended up being public money, local media reported. The Confederations Cup is considered a rehearsal for the next year’s World Cup, with the stadium in Brasilia one of the most expensive in the country, at an estimated cost of around $600 million. Brazil has been swept with protest rallies recently, with thousands taking to the streets, speaking out against a transport fare increase, crime rates and inflation. … Read More
Brazil despair: Protests over transport, inflation gain intl support (PHOTOS)
Over a thousand people have confirmed they will take part in a rally in Dublin, Ireland, scheduled for 1pm local time Sunday in sign of solidarity with Brazilian protesters, many of whom are university students. “Brazilians living in Ireland are also outraged by the way the government treated the protesters after the announcement of abusive fare increase,” according to a statement on the event. Dozens of demonstrations are also being organized in other cities, including Paris, Madrid, London, Berlin, Brussels, Boston, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Montreal, Mexico City and Buenos Aires. In general, the actions are scheduled for Tuesday. Many of the demonstrations called by the social network are linked to the event called Democracy Has No Border. Thousands have already signed up to attend. On Thursday night, Brazil’s Sao Paulo saw a crowd of 5,000 demonstrators cordoning off the main avenues, vandalizing buildings, leading to traffic chaos – for the fourth time in just over a week. Rallies were also staged in Rio de Janeiro and the southern city of Porto Alegre. Security forces cracked down on the protests, using tear gas and rubber bullets to curb the unrest. Some 200 arrests were made. Several people, including journalists who were covering the protests, were injured in the crackdown. The demonstrations were initially triggered by a 10-cent hike in bus fare, bringing the price to the equivalent of $1.60, and fueled by 6.5 percent inflation, as well as other economic problems. This, in turn, led to an 8-percent drop in the country’s President Dilma Rousseff’s popularity. “This city’s a piece of trash and we shouldn’t have to pay anything for terrible services,” Lucia Pereira, a 19-year-old student, told local TV in Sao Paulo, as quoted by Reuters. There were protesters who opposed the transport fare whatsoever, saying public transportation should be free. Some demonstrators pointed out that they were inspired by the current unrest in Turkey, with slogans like “Peace is over, Turkey is here!” chanted in the crowds. The authorities opposed the turn that the rallies have taken. “Vandalism, violence and obstruction of public roads are not acceptable,” Sao Paulo state Governor Geraldo Alckmin tweeted as the crackdown was taking place. A survey of Sao Paulo residents by polling firm Datafolha, taken before Thursday night’s protest, indicated that 55 percent of respondents supported the demonstrators. Demonstrators are planning another major march in Sao Paulo for Monday evening. … Read More
Brazil – Journalist slain near Rio, others mistreated by police in São Paulo
Reporters Without Borders is appalled by journalist José Roberto Ornelas de Lemos’ murder in Rio de Janeiro state on 11 June (picture). The editor of the Hora H newspaper, he was shot 44 times from a car while visiting a bakery. The media freedom organization also condemns the way military police treated journalists covering a street protest against bus fare hikes the same day in the city of São Paulo. Three journalists were arrested during clashes between police and demonstrators on São (…) … Read More
Rio police gun down drug baron from helicopter, probe launched (VIDEO)
The video that brought the incident to Rio authorities’ attention was released on Sunday by Brazilian media outlet Globo Noticias. The footage from the helicopter’s camera shows how officers tracked Marcio Jose Sabino Pereira – known as ‘The mathematician’ –through the Coreia slum in western Rio.The suspect got into a car and drove off, and during the pursuit police opened fire on the moving vehicle with an automatic weapon. The crossfire from the shootout struck the road around the car and the surrounding buildings. Perreira was found dead in the vehicle the next day on May 12.Rio police chief Martha Rocha described the use of force by police as “disproportional,” and said that a probe had been opened into the incident on April 30. Secretary of Public Security Jose Mariano Beltrame told Globo TV that police sometimes make mistakes.“We have police who make mistakes, we have police that do it right and our policy is always to look for the best for the people,” he told Globo, adding that the incident was highly out-of-the-ordinary for the police force.The officer who piloted the helicopter and was in command of the operation, Adonis Lopes de Oliveira, will be questioned on Wednesday by magistrates in connection with the shooting of Perreira.Marcio ‘The Mathematician’ Perreira was one of Rio’s most prolific drug dealers, wanted on 26 charges of drug trafficking, conspiracy to traffic and homicide.Rio de Janeiro’s favelas are a hotbed for violence and crime, with regular police incursions to wheedle out drug traffickers. Since 2003, Rio police have killed more than 11,000 people in connection with the drug trade.Concerns have been raised over security in Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics, and huge investments have been made by the city’s government to cut down on delinquency in the city’s infamous favelas. There have been accusations that police are forcefully repressing residents in the city’s poorer areas in preparation for the Games. … Read More
H&M set to dress Sweden’s Olympians
Swedish clothing giant H&M announced on Wednesday that it would be dressing Sweden’s athletes for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and Sochi. … Read More
Brazil – Radio host gunned down in northeast, drug trafficker suspected
Reporters Without Borders hopes the police will quickly solve the murder of Mafaldo Bezerra Goes, a local radio host who was gunned down in Jaguaribe, a town in the northeastern state of Ceará, on 22 February. Aged 61, he often covered crime and had been threatened. Goes was the second journalist to be killed this year in Brazil, following Renato Machado, a radio journalist who was shot in Rio de Janeiro state on 8 January. Last year, there were five murders of journalists in Brazil that (…) … Read More
