Brazil “wakes up”

Brazil “wakes up”

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The turnout is estimated to have grown to more than 200,000 nationwide in that evening’s protests — the country’s biggest in 20 years — against a slew of new economic woes in a changing Brazil.
On Tuesday night, protests raged on in Sao Paulo, drawing some 50,000 marchers, a handful of whom clashed with police as they tried to enter City Hall.

The protesters have already made some gains: officials in important state capitals such as Porto Alegre and Recife announcedplans Tuesday to lower bus fares, one of the original demands.
But with more rallies expected this week, this movement shows no sign of abating.
“This is the moment to show that the whole of Brazil is fighting, and that we have a voice,” said Jacqueline Ferreira, a 20-year-old student. “Even my mother told me to go the streets, because she said ‘this cause is true, the time is rigfht.’”

The time is indeed crucial. An international soccer tournament called the Confederations Cup kicked off here Saturday. Many are watching this closely as a test run for soccer’s massive World Cup, which has required major infrastructure and stadium revamps, to be hosted here about a year from now.