June 20, 2013 -- Updated 1820 GMT (0220 HKT)
The state of Sao Paulo announced that it would reverse its decision to
implement a controversial hike in bus fares that sparked mass protests
in several cities, state media reported. FULL STORY
|
WHY PROTEST?
June 20, 2013 -- Updated 1117 GMT (1917 HKT)
Why Brazilians are protesting
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: State of Sao Paulo reverses bus fare hike
- Main organizers say the protesters will take a break, but hit the streets again Thursday
- Politicians have bent under the pressure, but protesters are not satisfied
- "The money is there" for social programs, protest spokeswoman says
Are you witnessing the protests in Brazil? Share your images and videos with CNN iReport.
Sao Paulo, Brazil (CNN) -- After a chorus of cries
for social justice echoed through the streets of Brazil for days,
protesters called for a time out Wednesday. Despite the anticipated lull
in street marches, the government will beef up security with the
deployment of elite police officers and firefighters.
The protests, which started over a hike in bus fares, have had some effect.
On Wednesday, the state of Sao Paulo announced that the hike in bus fares would be reversed, state media reported.
In addition, a handful of
states have passed laws to lower the price of a city bus ticket since
protests began, and politicians elsewhere showed signs of bending to the
public pressure, saying they may also notch fares back down.
Photos: Protests in Brazil
Brazilian FM responds to protests
Brazilians back on streets to protest
Brazilian protester: Where do taxes go?
Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando
Haddad had earlier warned that eliminating the fare hikes would mean
less investment in other areas, but in the end erased the increases.
Not satisfied
Protesters say the
poorest are being short-changed while the government spends the large
bills on new stadiums and glitzy infrastructure for the soccer World Cup
Brazil is hosting next year and the Olympic Games coming in 2016.
They complain that corruption is driving up the costs.
The country's investment
in those projects includes money for health and public transportation,
Deputy Sports Minister Luis Fernandes has said.
"There is absolutely nothing contradictory between organizing a World Cup and investing in health and education," he said.
But such assurances have
not been enough for protesters, who will crank marches back up
Thursday. Tens of thousands have confirmed online that they will take to
the streets once more cry to out against high taxes and living costs,
and for better health care and better education.
Bigger, more festive
Wednesday's day off is
nothing out of the ordinary for Brazilian protesters, who also took
Saturday and Sunday off. But it stands in glaring contrast to the loud,
voluminous demonstrations that reverberated across several cities a day
earlier.
Crowds originally
protesting bus fares grew into multitudes decrying social injustice on
Tuesday as broad avenues filled to capacity for blocks.
There were over 200,000 confirmed participants, according to the main organizer, the Free Fare Movement.
The protests come amid
the soccer Confederations Cup tournament, a friendly array of matches,
in which the host country, Brazil, plays against a small group of
national teams from around the globe. The cup serves as a precursor to
the World Cup.
The National Force, made
up of specially trained firefighters and police officers, will deploy
to states hosting the games, the Ministry of Justice said late Tuesday.
The government has stressed that the force's mission is to mediate and not repress.
Protests remain festive in Brazil
Tiny price hike triggers huge protests
Brazil's president, Dilma Rousseff, told peaceful protesters Tuesday that their message was being heard.
She praised them as active participants in democracy and said her government is committed to "social transformation."
Police for the most part stood back, and the atmosphere has grown festive and loud, with throngs singing and beating drums.
"It actually reminded me
of Carnival in Rio," protester Fernando Jones said. "All along the
avenue, people supporting the cause kept switching their lights on and
off in their offices and shouting their support from the windows."
Path of rubble
But hidden in the
peaceful multitudes were bands of rowdies, who kicked down doors and
broke windows; looted shops, tipped over cars and set them on fire.
It left a trail of rubble down the protest routes.
Amandeep Gill woke up to the smoldering aftermath Tuesday morning.
The American, who lives
and works in Rio de Janeiro, took video of smashed store fronts as he
arrived at his workplace and posted it to CNN iReport.
Smoke rose out of looted shops. Across the street, a row of ATMs stood bashed, with their electronic guts hanging out.
His colleagues saw the trouble ignite the night before from their office window, they told him.
"They witnessed a car
set on fire in front of our building," Gill said. "They told me they
were worried that the building would catch on fire."
While asking police to
back off from peaceful protesters, Dilma has condemned "isolated and
minor acts of violence," telling police to confront them "with vigor."
Gill's colleagues in Rio won't let vandalism keep them off the streets.
Shasta Darlington reported from Sao Paulo;
Mariano Castillo wrote from Atlanta; CNN's Micheal Pearson, Marilia
Brocchetto and Ben Brumfield also contributed to this report.
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