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Brazilian Protester: “This is the Cup of Protests”

HeadlineJun 16, 2014

In Brazil, protests are continuing around World Cup sites across the country as the tournament enters its fifth day. In the capital Brasília Sunday, a protester condemned the billions of dollars Brazil has spent on the event.

Thiago Avila, protest organizer: “Today we are here for health, education and public services. This is the cup of protests, and we are strong. Here we want to protest every day that there is a game. This is the first one, but we can say that we are not scared to go into the streets. The streets today are the most important place in the city, and going into the streets is the most important democratic exercise at the moment.”

Human rights groups such as Amnesty International have accused the local police of using excessive force against demonstrators. In a video taken by the Associated Press on Sunday, a police officer can be seen firing what appears to be a live pistol round at protesters near Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. We’ll go directly to Maracanã Stadium for a report from Dave Zirin later in the broadcast.

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