Brazil police fire tear gas at WC protesters
‘Budget already spent or stolen’
BRASoLIA, May 28, (Agencies): Brazilian police fired tear gas Tuesday to break up a protest by bow-and-arrow wielding indigenous chiefs who joined forces with anti-World Cup demonstrators to condemn the money spent on the tournament.
Wearing traditional clothing including feather headdresses and face paint, about 500 chiefs mainly from the Amazon basin joined another 500 protesters rallying for various social causes in Brasilia’s government square and began marching toward the capital’s World Cup stadium.
As mounted police moved to block the march, some of the indigenous demonstrators rushed their horses and fired arrows in their direction.
A policeman was hit in the leg by an arrow and was operated on to remove it.
Globo TV showed images of a police motorcycle that had also been peppered with arrows. Some of the indigenous protesters could be seen throwing stones at some of the 700 police encircling the stadium. Protesters also blocked streets around the government plaza, where the congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court are located.
Earlier, the aboriginal leaders climbed a ramp onto the roof of the congress building in a protest they said was aimed at protecting their rights.
The protest, which brought together 100 ethnic groups from across Brazil, included Kayapo chief Raoni, an 84-yearold leader famous for fighting to protect the Amazon rainforest alongside pop music star Sting.
“Climbing onto the congress building was an act of bravery, it shows we’re warriors who defend our rights,” said Tamalui Kuikuru, an indigenous leader from the Xingu region in the western state of Mato Grosso.
They soon came down from the roof and rejoined the rest of the protesters along the main avenue where Brazil’s government ministries are located.
“Who is the Cup for? Not us!” shouted demonstrators. “I don’t want the Cup, I want money for health and education.”
In Sao Paulo, a member of Brazil’s World Cup organizing committee sparked controversy Tuesday by telling protesters angry over the tournament budget that the money had already been spent or stolen.
Reacting to the wave of protests over the more than $11 billion being spent on the event, Joana Havelange chided demonstrators calling for some of that money to be redirected toward health, education and transport, telling them they were too late.
“I want the World Cup to go off as well as possible,” said Havelange. “I’m not going to fight against it, as however much was spent, stolen, already has been,” she said on her Instagram page.
Havelange, is the daughter of the powerful former head of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Ricardo Teixeira.
“If it was necessary to protest (at the spiralling cost of the event) then people should have done so beforehand,” she said in the post, which was later deleted.
A public prosecutor in central Brazil has accused the federal government of false advertising and has opened a civil suit to force it to suspend a publicity campaign that claims the country is ready to host next month’s World Cup.
“The government campaign advertises that the tournament will bring great benefits to Brazilians through investments in urban infrastructure and public services,” a statement from the Goias state federal prosecutor’s office said.
“However, that is not the reality we are seeing.”
The true situation is one of “disorganisation, lack of planning, and incompetence in doing what was planned in terms of infrastructure and services,” the statement said.
The action seeks an injunction suspending the government campaign with possible fines of 5 million Brazilian reais ($2.23 million) a day if it fails to comply.
The Advocacia-Geral da Uniao, the federal government’s legal office, did not respond to a request for comment on the case.