Protests continue in Brazil over the World Cup

Brazil is currently in a “power keg” climate as political and economical tensions are coming to a head. Last night 200,000 Brazilians took to the streets of Brazil’s largest cities to protest government spending and taxation. The cities that protests took place were Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Salvador, Belem, and Curitiba.

Due to the cost of hosting a World Cup the Brazilian government has increased taxes for citizens. Though the people are very excited for the upcoming World Cup they wish the government would show this much attention to other issues. People were complaining about how these expensive stadiums are being built, but nothing is being done with education and health care. Another person stated that the government was more concerned with the World Cup than the people of Brazil.

The protests so far have been for the most part peaceful yet this can now be added to the many story lines surrounding the World Cup that aren’t soccer related. Brazil will also be hosting the 2016 summer Olympics as well.

– John McAuliffe (@John_Mac310)