"As many as 200,000 people have marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities, as protests over rising public transport costs and the expense of staging the 2014 World Cup have spread. […] The protests are the largest seen in Brazil for more than 20 years."
The recent protests in Brazil are receiving a wide and somewhat heterogeneous coverage from the international media. The best piece I have read is this one from The Economist. It gives a broad and sensible idea of what is in stake.
I’d also like to share two studies self-promotion alert : the first study shows a marked rise in urban bus fares over the recent decades in Brazil (the Portuguse version has been published in a peer-reviewed journal - ungated link here); the second study shows a detailed analysis on household expenditures on public and private transport in Brazil (this one is written in Portuguese only but it has an Abstract in English).
[Sad but still funny... Image credit: Turkish grandma]
ps. I’m not going to write my opinion on the recent protests in Brazil for two reasons. First, I have mixed feelings about it. I’m proud and at the same time confused not knowing what to expect. Second, from the beginning I’ve decided this would not be an opinion blog because it would demand from me two things I don’t have: strong opinions and ability with words.
Related Links:
- (updated) Drone Aerial footage of São Paulo protests
- Pictures from the protest in Brasilia yesterday 1 2 3
- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff 'proud' of protests
- Military policemen siting down in a sign of respect - São Paulo - yesterday protest