Rio protest draws 300,000, police fire tear gas

June 21, 2013 09:17

Some 300,000 Brazilians rallied in Rio de Janeiro on a nationwide day of protests over the huge cost of hosting the 2014 World Cup, according to a security expert.

Police in a tweet cited Rio de Janeiro Federal University expert Moacyr Duarte as estimating the crowd at 300,000, but did not give their own estimate.

An AFP reporter yesterday said a small group of demonstrators hurled stones at police who responded with tear gas. At least one person was injured in the clashes.

On Wednesday, the protesters scored a major victory when authorities in Sao Paulo and Rio, Brazil's two biggest cities, cancelled controversial transit fare hikes, but that was not enough to placate the demonstrators.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators returned to the streets in scores of cities around the country on Thursday, demanding better public services and bemoaning massive spending to stage the World Cup.

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