Brazil Deploying National Force to Control Protesters

Brazil is deploying its National Public Security Force (FNSP) to five cities in the wake of protests by nearly 250,000 people.

The cities are Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Fortaleza, and the capital city of Brasilia.

According to the BBC, the protests were “sparked by anger at a rise in public transport prices in Sao Paulo on June 2.” But the protests have grown increasingly violent since then, with buildings vandalized, vehicles burned, and fights breaking out. 

Nevertheless, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff weighed in on the protests by saying she “is proud so many people are fighting for a better country.”

These are the largest protests Brazil has witnessed since 1992, when citizens flooded the streets “to demand the impeachment of then-President Fernando Collor de Mello.”

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