Brazil’s Vinegar Revolt · Global Voices

Two-thousand Brazilian protesters gather for an assembly at Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, on June 23, 2013. By Flickr user MidiaNINJA (CC BY-SA)
What began as demonstrations in Sao Paulo by a group opposed to rising bus fares has become a nationwide protest movement against the government's priorities ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Demonstrations have swept the country with hundreds of thousands joining in what has been dubbed the Vinegar Revolt, ever since protesters used vinegar-soaked cloths to protect themselves from police adamant on dispersing them with teargas on June 13, 2013.
In the largest showing of the movement yet, more than a million people took to the streets of large and small cities throughout Brazil on June 21, 2013, during which a young man was killed after he was hit by a car in Ribeirao Preto and dozens were hurt in confrontations with the police in Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador.
Since last year, many protests were launched against bus fare inflation and inadequate public transportation in the country, but these latest demonstrations have more coordination and strength. With the beginning of the Confederations Cup, an event which comes before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, protesters are taking to the streets to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the country's infrastructure and the massive amount of public money spent on mega sport events.
Some fear [pt] that the mass movement risks being hijacked by political parties or the extreme right in the country. Others see nationalistic hints [pt] in the movement and worry that discourages political debate. But the fact remains that Brazilians are piling onto the streets with anger against their government and a deep distrust of the current political system.
Protest coverage
1 Oct ‘Mainstream Media Isn't Enough': The Rise of Brazilian Media Collective Nigeria
21 AugDeath Threats Follow Cartoonist Latuff's Criticism of Brazil's Military Police
14 Aug VIDEO: Brazil’s Vinegar Revolt Captured in Independent Film ‘Vandalism’
31 July Brazil's Vinegar Revolt Renews Police Demilitarization Debate
16 July PHOTO: Bloody Protests Outside Brazilian Bus Baron Wedding
27 June Brazil: A Nation Divided Between Protests and Football
27 June PHOTOS: Police Blanket Rio Protesters, Bystanders in Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets
22 June Brazil: Protest Posters Turned into Song
21 June PR Jingle Becomes Brazil Protest Hymn
21 June One Dead as Massive Wave of Protests Sweeps Across Brazil
21 June Brazilians Poke Fun at Intelligence Agency Spooks
21 June Social Media Plays Crucial Role in Brazil's ‘Vinegar Revolt’ Protests
18 June Nothing Can Stop Brazil's Vinegar Revolt, Not Even FIFA
18 June Brazil: Repression at FIFA Confederations Cup in Rio de Janeiro
17 June VIDEO: ‘Vinegar Revolt’ Bus Fare Protests Spread Across Brazil
17 June Free Bus Fare Protest Posters in Brazil
14 June PHOTOS: Hundreds Arrested in Brazil's Bus Fare Protests
The country's heavy-handed preparation for the upcoming World Cup has been a subject of scrutiny even before the Vinegar Revolt protests. Local governments have evicted residents and bulldozed homes, sometimes without warning, to make way for sporting event amenities.
FIFA-related eviction coverage
28 May Interview: Cartoonist Slams Forced Evictions in Brazil for World Cup
24 May Brazil's Indigenous Fight Back Against State Development
2 April Century-Old Trees Face the Axe in Brazil
25 March Brazil Violently Ousts Indigenous Village Ahead of World Cup
10 March FIFA Beware! Journalist Teams Up with Brazil's World Cup Victims
5 March Carnival Samba Takes Aim at World Cup in Brazil
4 March VIDEO: Brazil Bulldozes Neighborhood Without Warning for World Cup
1 March Brazilian Family Loses Home to the World Cup
Resources
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