Wake-up call for Brazil as popular fury grows

23 June 2013 - 02:00 By Laura Brown
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BURNING ANGER: A demonstrator with Brazil's flag walks past a torched car in Rio de Janeiro on Monday Picture: REUTERS
BURNING ANGER: A demonstrator with Brazil's flag walks past a torched car in Rio de Janeiro on Monday Picture: REUTERS

Uniting a NationMass protests across the country reveal how deeply the people want change

THE last thing one would ever have expected of a football-crazy and proudly patriotic country such as Brazil would be to hear someone announce through a megaphone: "We hope Argentina wins the World Cup."

That statement, followed by the crowds cheering and singing songs of support for Argentina, is how a protest kicked off in Rio de Janeiro on Monday evening.

At around 5pm, the crowd gathering outside the Candelária church was still small, but it would later grow to an estimated 100000 in Rio de Janeiro alone, with more than 200000 people turning out to express their discontent in cities across the country.

This is what happens when Brazil wakes up. The people are angry. They are demanding better services, less corruption and respect from the government.

Dubbed "Wake up Brazil", the first mass protest movement in more than 20 years has come as a surprise in a nation far less likely to take to the streets their neighbours in Argentina, where such action is common.

What started on June 13 as a small protest by about 5000 people in São Paulo expressing their anger at an increase in bus fares gained momentum after images were shown on television of the police appearing to be using unnecessary force against the protesters.

The images went viral and social media kicked into gear, calling for boycotts of World Cup-related activities and urging people to take to the streets to demand change.

The timing could not have been more inconvenient for the Brazil government: the country is hosting the Fifa Confederations Cup at the moment and preparing for the 2014 Fifa World Cup as well as the 2016 Olympic Games.

Adding to the people's animosity is the amount of money being spent to stage these events in a country where basic services such as healthcare, education, housing and transportation are lacking.

The minimum wage in Brazil is 678 Brazilian reais (about R3000) a month. Bus fares typically range from about R$2.50 to R$3 in the bigger cities.

Although the recent hike in ticket prices was only about 20 Brazilian cents, it has pushed ticket prices closer to the R$3 mark and in some cases over it, which is just too much for most people.

However, although this may have been the 20 cents that broke the camel's back, it is clear that this wave of unrest sweeping across the country is about far more than bus fares. Brazilians believe the government is doing little for the population, using taxpayers' money instead to build stadiums and line official pockets.

One picture doing the rounds on the internet encapsulates this sentiment. It shows a young man, in a helmet with his face covered, holding a poster that reads: "World Cup - R$33-billion, Olympics - R$28-billion, corruption - R$50-billion, minimum wage - R$678, and you still think this is about 20c???"

Apart from a few isolated incidences of hooliganism, the protests have mostly been peaceful and the police have kept a polite distance from the crowds.

All the organisers have been calling for peaceful demonstrations and many of those marching could be seen holding signs that read "sem violencia" (without violence) and heard chanting the same slogan.

"Nobody wants to destroy the country," said pensioner Silma De Pra, who took part in Monday's march.

"We want transparency. The people are not asking for cheap bus fares. That is not what this is about.

"The people are asking for respect, dignity and an end to corruption," she said, adding that the march was "beautiful".

Although the people are angry with the government and its ideologies, the nation's pride can still be seen and felt - protesters have been draping themselves in Brazil's iconic blue, green and yellow flag and singing the national anthem.

On Monday night in Rio de Janeiro, those who had not yet left their offices in the city's main financial centre threw pieces of white paper out of windows as the crowds passed by. This, they said, was a show of support meant to symbolise confetti tossed out during carnival time.

Rafael Darrouy, a medical student and rights activist, said: "The spirit here [at the march] is awesome. I've never felt this before in Brazil, where people are usually very selfish, but now you have lots of different people coming together and not just thinking about themselves. This is rare here.

"But we want change. We are one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and for the first time we feel like we are doing something big. Our healthcare is s**t. Our education is s**t. And we are spending lots of money on the World Cup."

Politicians appear to be taking notice and bus fares have already been reduced in certain cities this week.

President Dilma Rousseff, who was booed during her speech at the opening ceremony of the Confederations Cup last Saturday, said in a statement after Monday's protests: "Peaceful demonstrations are legitimate and part of democracy."

The marches are set to continue because the people are determined to have their voices heard and a general strike has been called for July 1.

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