Brazil is hosting the World Cup next year, as well as the Olympics in 2016\u2014which means that the state is invested in evicting residents to make room for tourists, and divesting from education, transportation, and healthcare. And that means social activists, and students especially, are taking to the streets to demonstrate in the biggest protests the nation has seen in two decades.<\/p>\n
The protests originally coincided with anticipated bus fare hikes. But although nearly a dozen cities have lowered their fares, up to a quarter-of-a-million people still took the streets last night. The protests, which have been met with a sometimes-violent response from police, pose a serious image problem for socialist president Dilma Rousseff, who\u2019s said she\u2019s proud of the protests.<\/p>\n
Natalia Viana directs the Agencia P\u00fablica investigative journalism center, based in S\u00e3o Paulo, and has been digging into eviction and social safety net stories for years. In this Spanish language interview, Viana explains that Brazil has dropped nearly one billion dollars in Rio de Janeiro\u2019s privately owned Maracan\u00e1 Stadium alone. She adds that nearly 200,000 people stand to lose their homes because of new roads and structures being erected for the twin grand scale sports events. Those who are taking to the streets are also limited by new regulations. They maintain a one-and-a-mile protest exclusion zone\u2014which is unconstitutional in a nation that supposedly values expression.<\/p>\n