Tuesday 18 June 2013

20 cents that sparked the Brazilian Revolution

On 2 June 2013, the mayor of São Paulo, Fernando Haddad increased the bus fares from R$3 (US$ 1.41) to R$3.20 (US$ 1.51).  Trips by the subway (Metro and CPTM trains) were also adjusted by São Paulo's Governor Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB) - also from R$3 to R$3.20.

In the coming days after the increase of the fares, there were several protest held  in the city of São Paulo. On 14 June 2013, an article was released by the local daily newspaper, Folha de São Paulo. Here's a snippet from the article;

"The Military Police toughened the crackdown on protesters, assaulted journalists, left pedestrians and drivers trapped by tear gas and rubber shots, and the fourth demonstration against the rise in public transportation fares again brought panic and violence to the center of São Paulo."

(Link to the full article can be found here:  http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/saopaulo/2013/06/1294977-military-police-react-violently-and-center-of-sao-paulo-has-another-day-of-panic.shtml)

Local media depicts  the protestors as violent, but personal friends that were part of the protest have informed that the protests were peaceful and that the Military Police were using unnecessary violence on the public.

Here are some pics of what is happening in Brazil ever since the the increase in the fares:

 
Brazilian Military Police on horseback

 





Tired of supporting this shit
(Source: http://saladuprising.tumblr.com/)

I followed the news, saw the pictures and videos and was appalled with what I saw. What the hell is going on in Brazil? All this just because of 20 cents ???

I spoke with Thiago and and a couple of friends and learnt that this has snowballed into something beyond the 20 cents rise.

Brazilians are sick and tired of all the 'shit' that is going on in Brazil. The short video below (6 minutes) explains the Brazilian plight quite well. It was recorded and uploaded on 17 June 2013 (just 2 days ago) and has already generated 1.1 million views on Youtube:


(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZApBgNQgKPU)

This video saddened me. Having lived and worked in Brazil for almost 2 years, it was my home, for that short period of time. Brazil is a beautiful country, but there is no denying that there are so many things that are FUCKED UP about it.

So this is me spreading the word (and the pics and the video) in my efforts to support the 'Salad Uprising' (http://saladuprising.tumblr.com/) in my small way. 

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