Police take on World Cup protesters
SAO PAULO — The pictures were far from what the tourist board of Brazil generally uses to decorate its brochures. No soft, sultry sand. No hip-wagging Carnevale revellers. No mist swirling lazily halfway up Sugarloaf Mountain.
Instead, what greeted viewers awaiting the World Cup opening ceremonies was the jarring image of stun-gun wielding police firing into an estimated 300 anti-tournament protesters. Exactly what FIFA and the host organizing committee had feared; their worst PR nightmares re-realized.
The anticipated social protests to hosting this World Cup, at $11 billion the most expensive in history, flared hours before the tournament opener in Sao Paulo on Thursday.
Even as FIFA officials were — heavy on the irony here — holding a “Handshake For Peace” media conference inside the Arena Corinthians, clashes between police and irate protesters were underway 50 metres outside the stadium, which has become one of the symbols of what protesters feel is profligate waste in lieu of important social services such as health care, education and public transit.
Built from scratch and the home of Brazilian club team Corinthians at a price tag of $469 million, the Arena Corinthians is still not finished.
A few protesters suffered injuries after being hit by rubber bullets, while others were seen choking after inhaling tear gas. An Associated Press photographer was injured in the leg after a stun grenade exploded near him. CNN reported on its website that two of its journalists were also injured.
“I’m totally against the Cup,” said protester Tameres Mota, a university student at the Sao Paulo demonstration. “We’re in a country where the money doesn’t go to the community, and meanwhile we see all these millions spent on stadiums.”
Thursday’s protests are a followup to what came to be known as the Confederations Cup riots during last summer’s World Cup warm-up tournament. Those demonstrations targeted Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff and were known initially as V for Vinegar Movement, Brazilian Spring or June Journeys. Displays of outrage over free public transportation last summer spread into dissatisfaction with many forms of social infrastructure.
Brazil took a massive PR hit during the 2013 Confederations Cup and it’s shaping up to that once again, even if the protests do wind up being on a smaller scale.
At the Confederations Cup final in Rio, tear gas floated around the Maracana during the Spain-Brazil final as police and soldiers clashed with protesters a few hundred yards from Maracana Stadium.
In anticipation of demonstrations, a heavy police presence greeted fans and media hours before kickoff of Thursday’s Brazil-Croatia match.