DYNAMO

19 Jun 2013

New clashes in Brazil's Fortaleza before football game


Police fire tear gas to disperse protesters in Fortaleza. Photo: 19 June 2013 The clashes in Fortaleza were the latest in a wave of protests across Brazil

Brazilian police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters in the city of Fortaleza, as unrest continues across the country.
Several people were hurt in the north-eastern city ahead of the Confederations Cup game with Mexico.
The government said earlier it would deploy forces to five cities.
The unrest was sparked by Sao Paulo's transport price hikes but it has now grown into broader discontent over poor public services and corruption.
At least 30,000 people took part in the protest rally in Fortaleza on the main road leading to the stadium.
Clashes erupted when the march was stopped by police. Some demonstrators began throwing stones, while police fired rubber bullets and tear gas.
Access to the stadium was blocked for at least 30 minutes, but police later allowed people to get in ahead of the scheduled kick-off at 19:00 GMT.
A number of protesters do have tickets and will be at the game, the BBC's Ben Smith in Fortaleza reports.
Our correspondent says that some demonstrators carried banners reading: "A teacher is worth more than Neymar" - in a reference to Brazil's star footballer who is expected to play against Mexico.
Meanwhile, the president of the football's world governing body FIFA, Sepp Blatter urged protesters not to "use football to make their demands heard".
But speaking to Brazil's Globo TV, he added: "I can understand that people are not happy."
Dilemma On Tuesday, riot police and protesters clashed in Sao Paulo - the largest city.
protesters graphic
Shops and banks were vandalised by groups of masked activists, who fought other demonstrators trying to stop the violence.
The current unrest is the biggest since 1992, when people took to the streets to demand the impeachment of then-President Fernando Collor de Mello.
Vice-President Michel Temer cut short a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Wednesday to return to Brazil.
However, President Dilma Rousseff said she was proud that so many people were fighting for a better country.
Brazil's government earlier warned that it would deploy the National Public Security Force (FNSP) in the five cities hosting the Confederations Cup: Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Fortaleza and the capital, Brasilia.
The authorities said that Recife was the only host city not to request the support of the force. The tournament is seen as a curtain-raiser event for next year's football World Cup.

The mayors of Cuiaba, Recife, Joao Pessoa and other cities have already announced a reduction in bus fares in response to Monday's protests, which saw more than 200,000 people take to the streets in more than a dozen cities.
But the dilemma for the country's political leadership is how to answer so many different concerns among a vast group of people with momentum and social media on their side, correspondents say.
Many of the demonstrators have complained of the huge sums spent on construction for the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, which will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro.
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