Nearly a month before the World Cup in Brazil, thousands of Brazilians are going to the streets protesting about their government's lavish spending on the event instead of supporting low-income housing.
CNN.com is reporting that demonstrations by groups angry about the World Cup staging were conducted in 18 cities in the country on Thursday. The most violent of these protests occurred in Sao Paulo, where policemen had to resort to the use of tear gas to control the crowd. In return, protesters threw rocks at the authorities and smash the windows of several establishments.
It was estimated that 4,000 people went to the Arena Sao Paulo to protest the World Cup games which will start on June 12.
The protesters are complaining about the billions spent by the government building new football stadiums while not spending as much for low-income housing.
One protester named Diana, a manicurist, told CNN: "The World Cup has done nothing to help us. So we decided to use it as a platform to make our voices heard."
Other groups are also conducting rallies to air their grievances with the world's attention slowly focusing on this country known for its football tradition. More than 5,000 teachers went on strike in Sao Paulo to ask for higher wages from the government, while many activists carried banners that read: "FIFA go home!"
The World Cup is one of two high-profile sporting events that the South American country will host in the next two years, the other being the 2016 Summer Olympics. It is estimated that the World Cup will attract more than half a million tourists.
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