Brazil remains under protests and chaos

Following the protests of thousands of Brazilians who are dissatisfied with the price increase of bus fares and the government’s recent decision of investing millions of dollars in sports infrastructure for the next World Cup 2014, based in the Latin American country, the Brazilian government have decided to send the National Force, which is an elite police branch, whose role will be to ensure security in five of the six cities where the Soccer Confederations Cup is being held and have been target of protests.

Last night, more than 50,000 people took the streets of Sao Paulo, in what would be the eighth day of protests. This type of concentration, mostly peaceful, sometimes turned into looting and clashes with police in several cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre.

Tomorrow is expected to be a difficult day as protests have been foretold in several cities, including Rio de Janeiro, where the match Spain-Tahiti will be played, whithin the Confederations Cup, which will end in June 30.

Ronaldo Nazario de Lima, Brazilian former soccer player and member of the organizing committee of the 2014 World Cup, criticized through his Twitter account, part of the protesters, who reject the expenditures for the World Cup and ask that the money invested on stadiums to go to other areas, such as education and health. “The Cup is an incredible opportunity for Brazil. An opportunity to attract attention, investment, tourism and a thousand other things. But that does not force stop the investing in priority social issues such as health, education, transport, security…” he said.

Even so, the player said he was proud “of the peaceful and democratic protests across the country, I hope they spread every year for a better public expenditure management,” said the former soccer player.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff expressed her consent for the large and “grandiose” protests, “Brazil woke up today stronger. The greatness of yesterday’s protests proves the power of our democracy, the strength of the voice of the street and civility of our people, “said the president on a brief speech in Brasilia.

But she acknowledged that “some minority and isolated acts of violence against persons, against public and private property, were carried out, which we must condemn and restrain with rigor. We know, government and society, that all violence is destructive, unfortunate and only generates more violence.”