Brazilian police block protesters from entering Maracana soccer stadium in Rio on June 16, 2013
Press TV – June 17, 2013
Brazilian police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of about 3,000 people protesting outside Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium before a Confederation Cup soccer game.
The rally took place on Sunday in protest against the vast sums of public money spent on the organization of the tournament.
The protesters also opposed the huge cost of preparations to host next year’s World Cup, which is expected to reach USD 15 billion (about 11 billion euros).
“I don’t care about the World Cup – I want health and education!” shouted the protesters.
Initially, police stood in line as a barricade outside of the stadium.
However, as the crowd of protesters tried to pass the blockade riot police charged towards the group.
On June 15, police clashed with protesters in a similar demonstration during the opening of the Confederations Cup in the capital, Brasilia.
The clashes ended with 39 people injured after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.