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Weeks of protests in Brazil: international issue
For nearly two weeks, tens of thousands of
Brazilians marched through the streets night after
night. Crowds originally protesting bus fares grew
into multitudes decrying social injustice on
[5] Tuesday, as broad avenues filled to capacity for
blocks. The movement has galvanized people
across the country who say they're fed up with
high taxes and a lack of services -- such as health
and education -- while the government spends
[10] billions on preparations for the 2014 World Cup.
In Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, protesters held
signs saying, "I'd swap 10 stadiums for one
decent hospital in this country" and "I'd give up
the World Cup for better education in my country."
[15] The protests came amid the soccer
Confederations Cup tournament, a friendly array
of matches, in which the host country, Brazil,
plays against a small group of national teams
from around the globe. The cup serves as a
[20] precursor to the World Cup.
The majority of marchers are young and welleducated.
Matheus Pires, a university student
and one of the organizers, says public
transportation should be free -- especially in
[25] expensive, sprawling cities such as São Paulo.
"You can't go to hospital; you can't see your
friends; you can't go to school; you can't go to
work," he said, describing how much the city's
residents rely on mass transit. Lowering fares, he
[30] said, would prove that the government was
listening.
But it's too soon to know whether it will bring an
end to protests or fuel further and more farreaching
demands.
[35] Rio de Janeiro (CNN) -- A massive crowd of
demonstrators swelled around an iconic church
in the heart of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday,
shouting "down with corruption" and "I can live
without the World Cup." CNN affiliate Band News
[40] reported that police used tear gas in some areas
of the city as clashes erupted.
Police initially reported tens of thousands of
protesters in Rio de Janeiro but later said the
crowds had grown to more than 300,000 people.
[45] One death was reported in São Paulo state,
where a young man was run over by a SUV at an
intersection during a demonstration, state police
said.
Outside the Candelaria Church, organizers
[50] called for protesters to march peacefully as they
listed a wide variety of demands directed at the
South American country's government. In the
nation's capital, a group of protesters on
Thursday twice forced their way into the foreign
[55] ministry building. Police repelled both incursions,
but not before protesters lit a fire inside the
building, state media reported.
Large demonstrations in Rio de Janeiro, São
Paulo and Brasília came a day after a movement
[60] that started as a protest against a 9-cent increase
in bus fares scored a major victory. Both São
Paulo and Rio de Janeiro agreed to roll back the
prices on bus and metro tickets.
But will it be too little, too late?
[65] "Fundamentally, people are on the streets
because they have very different demands, but
they don't have a forum for expressing them and
for being heard. And the bus fares were just one
of these many many different things," said
[70] Alessandra Orofino, one of the protest
organizers.
Orofino said she hoped this week's protests will
mark a turning point in Brazil, where democracy is
still relatively young. "I think that what
[75] government hasn't understood is that there will be
no single demand that will calm people down, per
se. I think fundamentally, if they don't open up, if
they don't become more transparent and truly
welcoming of participation, people will continue to
[80] demonstrate," Orofino said. "It might be for now. It
might be in the future, but this isn't going to go
away until we have a democracy that works."
Protesters say the poorest are being shortchanged
while the government spends the large
[85] bills on new stadiums and glitzy infrastructure for
the soccer competition Brazil is hosting next year
and the Olympic Games coming in 2016.
They complain that corruption is driving up the
costs.
Disponível em: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/20/world/americas/brazilprotests. Acesso em: 30 de agosto de 2013.
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