Brazil cities rock on, Dilma speech brings no calm

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters have again taken to the streets in several cities across Brazil, a day after President Dilma Rousseff promised reforms.

Over the past two weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have held dozens of demonstrations in Brazil to protest against the billions of dollars being spent on next year’s FIFA World Cup. The protesters have accused the government of wasting money and neglecting health, education, and transport. On Thursday, over one million marched in cities across the country.

In a televised speech late on Friday, the Brazilian president said she supports the people’s right to peaceful protest but condemns violence, vandalism, and looting.

Rousseff stated that her government would draft a new plan to improve public transport, adding that all oil royalties would be used to improve health and education. She also pledged to fight harder in the campaign against corruption.

But Rousseff’s speech — which many say came too late — did not placate the protesters, who again held demonstrations against the Confederations Cup on Saturday. The eight-team international football tournament currently underway in Brazil is considered a dress rehearsal for the World Cup.

About 60,000 demonstrators chanting “The Cup for whom?” gathered in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte, according to the police.

Many protesters also condemned legislation that would limit the power of state prosecutors to investigate crimes.

In Belo Horizonte, the police fired tear gas after some of the protesters hurled stones and tried to break through the security perimeter around the Mineirao stadium where a Japan-Mexico match was under way.

“We are against the World Cup because it masks the problems the country faces,” said musician Leonardo Melo, who dismissed Rousseff’s speech as “rhetoric.”

Victoria Villela, a 21-year-old university student who joined the protesters said she was “frustrated and exhausted by the endless corruption of our government.”

“It was good Dilma spoke, but this movement has moved too far, there was not much she could really say. All my friends were talking on Facebook about how she said nothing that satisfied them. I think the protests are going to continue for a long time and the crowds will still be huge.”

In the northeastern city of Salvador, where Brazil faced Italy in another Confederations Cup match, hundreds of people held a demonstration outside the stadium.

Demonstrations were also held in a dozen other cities, including Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo.