Brazil police, protesters clash as World Cup begins
Posted by Unknown on Thursday, June 12, 2014 | 0 comments
Brazilian police and protesters clashed on Thursday, hours before the opening game of the World Cup, which has been marred by construction delays and political unrest.
Police fired noise bombs to disperse a crowd of about 200 demonstrators angry about government overspending on the event. The protesters were trying to cut off a key avenue leading to the Corinthians Arena where the soccer match will be played on the eastern edge of Sao Paulo, a Reuters witness said.
At least one protester was arrested, local media reported. A producer for CNN was injured during the confrontation, witnesses said.
The protests were expected to grow in size before Brazil’s team plays Croatia at 5 p.m. (2000 GMT).
Much of the rest of Brazil’s biggest city and business capital resembled a ghost town during the usual morning rush hour after officials declared a partial holiday to ensure traffic to the stadium would be light. About 20 million people live in the metropolitan area.
