"Brazil is not for beginners!

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: Bethania Assy, Bruno Cava , 03 2013 23:02

The Latin American spring blooms

Who could imagine, in the beginning of the month, that the demonstrations would reach the millions? Merely ten days later, the protests had multiplied by 200, spread from big cities to the average-sized in all regions of the country, and proliferated to distant and poorer neighborhoods within metropolitan areas. On the 20, th according with the own police, there were 300 000 protesters, just in Rio de Janeiro, marching to City Hall (organizers even divulgate one million people). The impulse that the protests have received in quantitative terms is proportional to the volume of wariness and concerns regarding their qualitative character. Free-fare was no longer a movements demand and MPL ( Free Fare Movement ) itself stated it would leave the marches due to its "fascists trends". The more traditional left-wingers, either supporting or opposing Dilmas government, have been systematically harassed.

Joined to the protest from the beginning, those left-wingshave a long history of struggles and mobilizations against gentrification and the state of exception exercised at the expenses of the poor, in the name of massive sporting events. On June 20 th , in Rio and in So Paulo, right-wing groups within the marches directly attacked these leftists. Several activists were hospitalized, including those from labor unionsas the Unified Workers Central (CUT) and from social movements as the Landless Workers Movement (MST). The nearly-obsessive anti-partisanship heard in the protests, the "no party" cries, reveals a widespread rejection of the mere presence of flags or shirts indicating political associations. Meanwhile, many protesters wear yellow and green, and sing the national anthem. The press does not hesitate to compare them to the 1992s Painted-Faces Movement. That year, supported by the mainstream press, the youth went to streets to call for Fernando Collors impeachment. And it succeeded. Dilmas right-wing opposition is not idly using this very image.

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"Brazil is not for beginners!"

: Bethania Assy, Bruno Cava , 03 2013 23:02

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