While the protest has been peaceful, the police has begun to tighten things up and enforce violent comebacks. In San Paulo, protesters have organized and made clear to the government that they are nowhere near done. Police have responded with gas canisters, rubber bullets, and imprisonment.
This is a small example of one-sided violence, yet the Governor of Sao Paulo state, Geraldo Alckmin, denies any use of excessive force by his police, saying they are just following protocol (Huffington Post). He will, however, investigate the allegations.
The protests are fairly new. After Brazil's dictatorship, the country was peaceful and experienced few political protests. The country has been growing well economically. The international community was met with surprise when protests started, opening up the government's corrupt nature.
The tax hike is only 10 cents, but the people are not too happy with the quality of transportation taking up a good amount of their already low monthly income. In the video posted, GlobalResearchTV gives a bit of history into Brazil's rising economy, international involvement, and reasons for the recent protests. There is a CNN clip where a reporter asks a soccer fan if the World Cup is worth the cost for hosting it. He responds that it is not, and that the government can and should focus more on the important things (i.e. education, health, and transportation). While the protests are in its initial stages, I believe that the government and police will increase their use of violence in the future.
Pictures:
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/14/brazil-protests-2013_n_3443742.html#slide=2581743
It's very interesting that the Brazilian citizens are deciding to take a stand against their government with these protests. Do you think they were at all influenced by the Arab Spring or the Occupy movement here in the US? I am surprised by the remark made by the soccer fan because Brazil is kind of known for their love of soccer.
ReplyDeletei agree, i wonder what influenced the citizens to rebel and protest against this tax hike. It is interesting that since the world cup will bring so much money to the country, why exactly would it be bad for its citizens? your article clearly shows why, it is just interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very informative post... you pose an interesting question too Aimee. Some news article I read about the protests began by saying the state had been bitten by the revolution bug and another discussed solidarity protests popping up from sydney to london led by Brazilian expats. I would agree with Emmanuel when he mentioned it's a tax hike on an already low monthly income.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there were any influences on the approach the Brazilian citizens took on their government. Protests have been far and few after the 50s. I think what caused it was the people had reached their boiling point with government.
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