At least 40 demonstrators stormed Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies demanding a military coup.
The protesters scuffled with guards and took over the podium as a session began on November 16.
Denouncing government corruption, protesters called for a return to military rule – which Brazil saw from 1964 to 1985.
In Rio de Janeiro, police fired tear gas at public sector workers protesting against cuts.
Demonstrators swept past security guards and smashed a glass door to get into the parliament chamber, where they shouted “general here, general here” and sang the national anthem.
According to Reuters, it took police three hours to round up all the protesters.They were all detained.
Later in the day, President Michel Temer’s spokesman, Alexandre Parola, called the protest an “affront” and said it was a “violation of the norms of democratic co-existence.”
Public confidence in Brazilian institutions has been eroded by a massive corruption scandal and the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.
Michel Temer was Dilma Rousseff’s vice-president before being promoted after her dismissal.
Last week Dilma Rousseff filed court documents accusing Michel Temer of accepting a large bribe. Michel Temer’s party says the money was a legal campaign donation.
Brazil was one of several Latin American nations where the military overthrew democratic governments in the 1960s and 70s.
The generals said they were countering the very real threat of a communist insurgency and had support from a considerable part of Brazil’s elite.
The military regime detained, tortured – and in some cases – killed its opponents, while overseeing rapid economic growth.
Also on November 16, protesters gathered outside the state legislature where austerity plans to tackle the city’s financial crisis were being debated
Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades into a crowd of about 2,000 protesters, ranging from teachers to off-duty police officers, AFP reported.
Brazil has been hit by a drop in global oil and commodity prices and declared a financial emergency ahead of the Rio Olympics earlier this year.
The Brazilian Supreme Court has upheld the result of an impeachment vote against President Dilma Rousseff.
Dilma Rousseff, who says her opponents are plotting a “coup”, faces claims she manipulated government accounts.
The president has vowed to fight to “the last minute” despite the desertion of three allied parties ahead of Sunday’s vote in the lower house of parliament.
The Supreme Court made its decision in an extraordinary session.
The impeachment debate in the lower house of parliament is due to start today and continue until April 17 vote. If two-thirds of lawmakers vote for impeachment, the motion will pass to the Senate.
An impeachment vote would pave the way for Dilma Rousseff to be removed from office.
Yesterday’s injunction to suspend the vote was filed by Attorney General Jose Eduardo Cardozo who claimed that alleged procedural failings had violated the president’s right to a defense.
Seven of 10 justices voted to reject the motion even before the Supreme Court session had finished.
The Progressive Party (PP), which quit the coalition on April 12, says most of its 47 lawmakers would vote for the impeachment, and the Republican Party (PRB) said its 22 members had been told to vote in favor.
The move comes weeks after the PMDB, the largest party in the lower house, voted to leave the coalition. The PMDB’s leader in the lower house, Leonardo Picciani, said on April 14 that 90% of the party’s members would vote to impeach Dilma Rousseff.
Lawmakers from Dilma Rousseff’s own Workers’ Party are said to be increasingly despondent about April 17 vote.
The allegations, which Dilma Rousseff denies, are that she juggled the accounts to make her government’s economic performance appear better than it was, ahead of her election campaign two years ago.
Dilma Rousseff’s supporters say the issue is not valid grounds for impeachment.
On April 12, the president seemed to suggest that her Vice-President, Michel Temer, was one of the ringleaders of the “coup” attempt against her.
Dilma Rousseff said a widely distributed audio message of Michel Temer appearing to accept replacing her as president was evidence of the conspiracy. However, she did not identify him by name.
Brazil is “living in strange times”, she said, “times of a coup, of farce and betrayal”.
Lawmakers are due to start debating on April 15, with voting beginning on April 17 at about 14:00. The result should be known later in the evening.
Security is expected to be stepped up around the Congress building in Brasilia as the vote takes place.
Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman – famous for a giant rubber duck that pops up around the world – says a version of his work used by Brazilian protesters amounts to plagiarism.
Groups pushing for the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff are using a large rubber duck as a mascot.
The duck’s design is similar to one by Florentijn Hofman.
The owner of the factory that produced both ducks denied any wrongdoing.
Versions of the same giant inflatable rubber duck designed by Florentijn Hofman have traveled the world since 2007, calling in Japan, New Zealand and Brazil, among many other countries.
The version that has appeared in protests in Brazil closely resembles Florentijn Hofman’s, although it has crosses for eyes.
It also has the slogan “Chega de pagar o pato” across its chest, a Portuguese expression meaning “We won’t pay for the duck any more” or “We won’t pay for what is not our fault any more”.
The giant duck was commissioned by a powerful Brazilian industrial group, FIESP, to use in protests against corruption and high taxes from September 2015.
It has made a number of appearances in demonstrations against the president in recent months.
Before it appeared as part of an exhibition in Brazil, a version of Florentijn Hofman’s duck was produced in a Sao Paulo factory.
However, the owner of the factory, Denilson Sousa, who also produced the new duck, denies the design was copied.
A FIESP spokesman said they had been reassured the design was original.
On March 29, the group released 5,000 rubber ducks near the main national congress building in the capital, Brasilia, and took out full-page adverts in national newspapers using an image of a duck.
Opposition lawmakers want to remove Dilma Rousseff over claims she manipulated government accounts to hide a growing deficit.
Over one million Brazilian protesters have joined demonstrations against President Dilma Rousseff, with many asking for her impeachment.
The protesters say Dilma Rousseff must have known about a corruption scandal in the state oil company, Petrobras.
The political opposition says much of the alleged bribery took place when Dilma Rousseff was head of the company.
However, Dilma Rousseff has been exonerated in an investigation by the attorney general and denies involvement.
Most of the politicians accused of taking bribes in a kickback scheme come from the governing coalition.
Protests have taken place across 22 Brazilian states and the federal capital, Brasilia.
The largest demonstration went ahead in Sao Paulo, attracting more than 500,000 people.
Many of the protesters waved Brazilian flags and wore the yellow shirts of the national football team.
They shouted slogans against corruption and the Workers’ Party government.
Opposition parties have backed Sunday’s protests but have not openly called for impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.
Senator Aecio Neves, who was defeated by a narrow margin in October’s presidential vote, issued a statement praising the protests.
He said Brazilians “went to the streets to reunite with their virtues, their values and also with their dreams”.
In Rio de Janeiro, police said around 15,000 people had joined a protest there, while in Brasilia a crowd of 40,000 was reported.
On March 13, tens of thousands of President Dilma Rousseff took to the streets.
Her supporters say calls for an impeachment, less than five months after she was elected to a second four-year term, amount to a coup attempt.
The Workers’ Party has been in power since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in for his first term in January 2003.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court approved the investigation of 54 people for their alleged involvement in the kickback scheme.
The list was prepared by Attorney General Rodrigo Junot who alleged that private companies paid corrupt officials in order to get lucrative Petrobras contracts.
According to the investigation, high-profile politicians also took a share of the money siphoned off from Petrobras.
Rodrigo Junot’s list includes Senate President Renan Calheiros, President of the Chamber of Deputies Eduardo Cunha, former Energy Minister Edison Lobao and former President Fernando Collor de Mello. All deny corruption allegations.
Sao Paulo riot police have used tear gas to break up a protest against Brazil’s World Cup, hours before the opening match.
At least one person was arrested and five others were injured, three of them journalists.
Protesters had tried to block a road leading to the stadium where the opening ceremony will take place.
Sao Paulo riot police have used tear gas to break up a protest against Brazil’s World Cup, hours before the opening match
Further protests are planned in other Brazilian cities over the expense of hosting the tournament.
In another development, striking airport workers in Rio de Janeiro blocked a road outside the airport, demanding a wage increase and a World Cup bonus.
The strike was to have lasted for 24 hours but union leaders called it off early for legal reasons.
Striking teachers also staged a rally in Rio city centre, further disrupting traffic.
Police charged with batons and riot shields, firing rubber bullets over heads of scores of protesters near a metro station on the route to the Arena Corinthians. Riot police moved in after the demonstrators refused to clear the road.
The demonstrators had been chanting “there won’t be a Cup”.
The violence happened about 8 miles from the stadium where Brazil will play Croatia at 20:00 GMT.
Brazilian riot police fired tear gas at anti-World Cup and indigenous demonstrators in the capital, Brasilia.
Stones were hurled at security forces as hundreds of protesters tried to reach the National Stadium – where the golden tournament cup is on display.
A group of indigenous people who were demanding land rights at Congress eventually joined the protest.
Riot police fired tear gas at anti-World Cup and indigenous demonstrators in Brasilia
This is the latest in a series of demonstrations in Brazil against the cost of staging the tournament.
Authorities say around 1,500 people were taking part in Tuesday’s demonstration, which blocked one of the main roads of the city.
As the crowd tried to walk towards the National Stadium, host to several tournament matches, mounted police blocked their way.
With tensions running high, police fired tear gas several times to break up the demonstration.
The crowd was joined by a group of indigenous people who had climbed onto the roof of the Brazilian Congress building to demand changes in how their land is demarcated.
A policeman was reportedly injured in the leg by an arrow shot during the scuffles.
The demonstrations gridlocked the traffic in Brasilia for hours.
Last year, up to a million people joined demonstrations across the country to demand better public services and highlight corruption and the high cost of staging the World Cup.
Since then several other anti-World Cup protests have been staged in Brazil, with many descending into violence.
Thousands of protesters in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro who marched against the cost of hosting the football World Cup in Brazil have been dispersed by riot police firing tear gas.
Some demonstrators hurled stones while other burned tyres and blocked roads.
They say they are angry that billions of dollars are being spent on next month’s football tournament, rather than social projects and housing.
Protests also took place in many other cities, including the capital Brasilia.
Teachers and civil servants, among others, were also on strike across Brazil.
Thousands of protesters in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro marched against the cost of hosting the football World Cup in Brazil (photo Reuters)
In Rio, aerial images showed hundreds of people marching in rush-hour traffic on a main thoroughfare. The city will host the final match of the World Cup on July 13.
Protesters there and in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, clashed with police before beginning to disperse.
The number of people on the streets was much lower than during similar protests last year.
Some of those taking part, however, promised the demonstrations would get bigger and more frequent as the World Cup gets closer.
Last June, more than a million people took to the street over poor public services, corruption and the high cost of hosting the World Cup.
The tournament is due to kick off on June 12.
The demonstrations began earlier in the day in Sao Paulo, with one of the biggest protests in the city’s Itaquera district near the Arena Corinthians stadium, which will host the tournament’s opening match.
Protesters there demanded housing, and not stadiums, be built in accordance with FIFA standards, in reference to world football’s governing body.
“Our goal is symbolic,” said Guilherme Boulos, the head of Homeless Workers Movement.
“We don’t want to destroy or damage the stadium. What we want is more rights for workers to have access to housing and to show the effects the Cup has brought to the poor.”
The government has tried to downplay the scale of Thursday’s unrest, arguing it was not related to the World Cup.
“From what I’ve seen, these are specific claims by workers. I’ve seen nothing that is related to the [World] Cup,” Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said.
“There’s no reason to panic ahead of receiving three million Brazilian tourists and 600,000 foreign tourists [for the tournament].”
The planned protests coincide with a range of strikes, including one by the police force in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco.
The army was deployed there to provide additional support after some robberies and looting, before the strike ended on its third day.
Local media reported that, in the last 24 hours alone, 234 people were arrested. Recife, the state capital, is due to host five matches during the World Cup.
Brazilian protesters have clashed with police during the Confederations Cup final between the host nation and Spain in Rio de Janeiro.
Riot police fired tear gas as demonstrators threw missiles near the Maracana football stadium.
President Dilma Rousseff did not attend the match. She was booed at the opening of the tournament.
The protests started nearly a month ago, sparked by transport fare rises, but quickly encompassed other issues.
The main grievances are over the costs of staging the World Cup, corruption and demands for better health, education and transport.
Brazilian protesters have clashed with police during the Confederations Cup final between the host nation and Spain in Rio de Janeiro
Earlier on Sunday a group of demonstrators tried to storm a Brazilian Football Association (CBF) building in Rio. But police kept them back and the group settled outside the building.
The protesters demanded the resignation of CBF president Jose Maria Marin, who has been accused of incompetence.
In a separate protest, several thousand people marched on Maracana stadium banging drums.
They demanded free public transport, carrying placards reading “FIFA – you pay the bill”. The demonstrators also called for and end to corruption and the resignation of the Rio State governor.
Minutes before the game began, small groups of protesters threw rocks and firecrackers at police lines.
Security forces responded with tear gas and sent armored vehicles to disperse the demonstrators. There were no further incidents during the game – which saw Brazil beat Spain 3-0.
The wave of protests began nearly a month ago in the city Sao Paulo after bus fares were increased by 10%.
But after heavy-handed police action, it spread to other cities and mobilized public opinion.
The rises in Sao Paulo and many other Brazilian cities were revoked after two weeks of protests.
By then, the demonstrations had turned into a nationwide movement for better education, healthcare and transport.
Police have used tear gas to stop protesters from approaching a football stadium during a Brazil-Uruguay Confederations Cup match.
About 50,000 protesters marched to the stadium in Belo Horizonte.
A small number of them tried to push past police lines. About 20 people were detained.
The crowds repeated the demands they have made since the protests began – more spending on education and health, and a crackdown on corruption.
They also complained about the high cost of the 2014 World Cup, for which the Confederations Cup is a dress rehearsal.
Police have used tear gas to stop protesters from approaching a football stadium during a Brazil-Uruguay Confederations Cup match
The match has now finished; Brazil beat Uruguay 2-1, and qualified for the final of the tournament.
Since the demonstrations escalated last week, President Dilma Rousseff has introduced a series of measures to answer some of those demands.
In the capital, Brasilia, campaigners against social inequality have placed 594 footballs in front of the parliament building to show that the “ball is in the court of the Congress to pass the reforms demanded by those on the streets”.
A key grievance of protesters was a proposed constitutional amendment, PEC 37, which would have limited the power of federal prosecutors to investigate crimes – which demonstrators claim could have opened the way for more corruption.
But on Tuesday, the proposed measure was defeated by 430 votes to nine.
Congress also voted to use all the royalties from newly discovered oil fields for education and health.
Some of the largest oil finds in recent years have been discovered off the Brazilian coast, and the country is expected to be able to produce tens of billions of barrels of crude oil over the coming decades.
In another attempt to pacify protesters, the government promised to speed up the pace of reform.
It said it would simplify a referendum to establish a constituent assembly – proposed on Monday by President Dilma Rousseff – to allow for a vote as early as 7 September.
The president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, has proposed free transport for all students.
The rising cost of public transport was the main catalyst for the protests, and various city authorities have already decided to reverse fare increases.
Brazil’s Congress has rejected proposed constitutional amendment PEC 37 that was a key grievance of protesters who took to streets across the country.
Demonstrators had argued PEC 37, which would have limited the power of federal prosecutors to investigate crimes, might open the way for more corruption.
On Tuesday, the measure was defeated by 430 votes to nine.
Congress also voted to use all the royalties from newly discovered oil fields for education and health.
Some of the largest oil finds in recent years have been discovered off the Brazilian coast and the country is expected to be able to produce tens of billions of barrels of crude oil over the coming decades.
However, many of the finds are “pre-sal” (“beneath the salt”) reserves, located deep in the ocean floor.
The process of extracting oil from such depths carries huge risks and requires new technologies, and will take time.
Congress voted to allocate 75% of the royalties of those newly-found pre-sal sites to education and 25% to health, but it is not clear when those royalties would start coming in.
The PEC 37 constitutional amendment rejected on Tuesday had been a thorn in the side of many protesters and its defeat has been described by one national newspaper as a direct result of “pressure from the streets”.
Brazil’s Congress has rejected proposed constitutional amendment PEC 37 that was a key grievance of protesters
The amendment would have assigned the power to conduct criminal investigations exclusively to the police, thus removing the role of federal prosecution service from the evaluation of criminal charges.
Its critics said it would have affected the ability of prosecutors to conduct effective, fair and impartial criminal investigations, including those into organized crime and corruption.
In another move to try and pacify protesters angry at a broad range of issues, including poor public services, high levels of corruption and the high cost of hosting major sporting events such as the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, the government also promised to speed up the pace of reform.
The government said it would simplify a referendum to establish a constituent assembly – proposed on Monday by President Dilma Rousseff – in order to allow for a vote as early as September 7.
Ministers suggested they would focus on a more straightforward referendum proposing political reform.
It could address “concrete questions”, such as campaign financing and political representation, they said.
Education Minister Aloisio Mercadante said the government wanted political reform with “wide public participation”.
“We want [the referendum] to happen as soon as possible,” he said.
A controversial measure to recruit more foreign doctors to address a shortfall in the health system is also going ahead despite the objections of organizations representing Brazilian medical practitioners.
The president of the senate, Renan Calheiros, has proposed free transport for all students.
Various city authorities have reversed increases in public transport fares that were a source of widespread public anger.
The flurry of political activity is taking place ahead of a series of demonstrations in various Brazilian cities on Wednesday.
One of the largest is due to take place in the city of Belo Horizonte where Brazil’s football team will play Uruguay in the semi-final of the Confederations Cup.
There is a public holiday in the city, and tens of thousands of protesters are expected. A protest group has promised to start the day demonstrating in front of the national team’s hotel.
The cost of the World Cup, for which the Confederations Cup is a dress rehearsal, has been a key issue in recent protests.
Security will be tight with thousands of police on duty and other special forces on standby.
There were violent clashes in Belo Horizonte on Saturday during another protest.
The nature of the demonstration is likely to be seen as an early test of whether the rash of political concessions is having an impact, our correspondent adds.
The wave of rallies in more than 100 cities began in Sao Paulo, where residents were unhappy at planned rises in public-transport fares.
Those increases have since been shelved, but the protests spread across Brazil, and the protesters’ demands have become more wide-ranging.
More than one million people have taken part in protests in about 100 cities across Brazil, the latest in a wave of demonstrations.
Violence erupted in many places and an 18-year-old man died when a car drove through a barricade in Sao Paulo state.
Protests began more than a week ago over high transport fares but are also highlighting corruption and the cost of next year’s football World Cup.
President Dilma Rousseff called off a trip to Japan to deal with the crisis.
She has called an emergency meeting of her cabinet for Friday to discuss the unrest.
The newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, citing official figures, said that more than one million people had taken part in Thursday’s demonstrations.
Brazilian media said there were protests in more than 100 cities.
In Rio de Janeiro riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at groups of masked young men trying to approach the City Hall late on Thursday. At least 29 people were reported injured.
Rio authorities sealed off the state legislature building, the state governor’s office, Guanabara Palace and the mayor’s office.
More than one million people have taken part in protests in about 100 cities across Brazil
TV images showed gangs looting shops in the city centre – although many Rio shopkeepers and banks had put up wooden hoardings to protect their premises.
In the capital, Brasilia, demonstrators started a small fire at the entrance to the foreign ministry and were driven back by police using rubber bullets and tear gas.
Other government buildings in the city were attacked and riot police used tear gas and rubber bullets to scatter the crowds. About 26 people were reported injured.
There were also clashes outside a football stadium in Salvador ahead of a Confederations Cup match between Nigeria and Uruguay.
More clashes were reported in Porto Alegre in the south, Campinas north of Sao Paulo and in the north-eastern city of Salvador.
The 18-year-old man killed in the city of Ribeirao Preto was the first person reported to have died in the protests. The motorist who drove through the barricade is said to have fled the scene.
In Sao Paulo, police said 100,000 people had gathered on the city’s landmark Avenida Paulista.
Members of the city’s Free Access Movement (Movimento Passe Livre) – which has been campaigning for better public transport – earlier pledged to take to the streets “to celebrate” the reversal of a public-transport fare increase.
The protests, originally triggered by the increase on 2 June, have since grown into a much wider movement.
Protesters are angry at corruption and poor public services as well as the huge cost of next year’s football World Cup, saying the government should also invest in education and healthcare.
Previous Confederations Cup matches have drawn protests, with demonstrators expressing their anger at steep ticket prices and the money spent on the Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad said Wednesday’s reversal of the fare rise was a “big sacrifice”, which meant other investments would have to be cut.
Sao Paulo and Rio are the latest two cities to reverse such increases after similar moves by the authorities in Cuiaba, Recife and Joao Pessoa.
Brazilia’s President Dilma Rousseff has cancelled a planned trip to Japan over continuing mass anti-government protests across the country.
The move is an indication of the seriousness of the situation confronting her, correspondents say.
In the north-eastern city of Salvador, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters ahead of an international football match there.
Big rallies are being staged in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and other cities.
Demonstrators in Sao Paulo earlier said they would take to the streets “to celebrate” the reversal of a public-transport fare increase announced on Wednesday.
The protests, which were originally triggered by the increase, have since grown into a much wider movement.
Demonstrators are angry at corruption and spending on next year’s World Cup.
Brazilia’s President Dilma Rousseff has cancelled a planned trip to Japan over continuing mass anti-government protests across the country
On Thursday, President Dilma Rousseff’s office announced that her trip to Japan planned for next week had been called off. Another visit to the Brazilian state of Bahia has also been put on hold.
In a statement, the office acknowledged that the decision had been taken as a result of the continuing demonstrations.
President Dilma Rousseff earlier publicly stated that she was proud that so many people were fighting for a better country.
In Salvador on Thursday, clashes erupted when protesters tried to break through a police barrier near the stadium where a Confederations Cup match between Nigeria and Uruguay is due start later. It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries.
Meanwhile, thousands of people are marching in central Rio de Janeiro near the iconic Candelaria Church, but there have been no reports of violence.
The city authorities earlier erected barricades around the state legislature building, which was vandalized during protests on Monday.
The state governor’s office, Guanabara Palace, and the mayor’s office had been secured by police cordons.
A number of Rio shopkeepers had put up wooden hoardings to protect the front of their businesses and some banks have done the same.
In the capital Brasilia, big crowds gathered outside the National Congress building.
Previous Confederations Cup matches have drawn protests, with demonstrators expressing their anger at steep ticket prices and the money spent on the Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Brazilian government has failed to halt nationwide protests, despite reversing the public transport fare increases that sparked the unrest.
Crowds blocked main roads in Sao Paulo and Brasilia, and protesters confronted police in Rio de Janeiro state shortly after the U-turn was announced.
Earlier, there were clashes before Brazil’s football team played Mexico in Fortaleza in the Confederations Cup.
Protesters are angry at corruption and high spending on next year’s World Cup.
Activists say they have not changed their intention to hold the biggest demonstrations yet on Thursday.
Hundreds of thousands are expected on the streets there before another round of matches in the Confederations Cup.
The continued protests come after the authorities in the two biggest cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, said they would reverse the public-transport fare increases.
Sao Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad said the reversal would be a “big sacrifice” and said other investments would have to be cut.
Brazilian government has failed to halt nationwide protests, despite reversing the public transport fare increases that sparked the unrest
Rio mayor Eduardo Paes made a similar point, saying the lower transport prices would cost the city 500 million reals ($225 million) a year.
The mayors of Cuiaba, Recife, Joao Pessoa and other cities have already announced a reduction in bus fares in response to the protests.
But the protesters were unmoved by the gesture.
“It’s not really about the price [of transport] anymore,” said 18-year-old student Camila Sena, at a protest in Rio de Janeiro’s sister city of Niteroi.
“People are so disgusted with the system, so fed up that now we’re demanding change.”
One demonstration in the city of Belo Horizonte continued for more than 10 hours.
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters in the north-eastern city of Fortaleza on Wednesday after at least 30,000 people rallied there.
Clashes erupted when a protest march was stopped by police. Several people were injured, including police officers. Access to the stadium was blocked for at least 30 minutes, but police later allowed people to get in ahead of the game which started at 16:00 local time.
During the protest some demonstrators carried banners reading: “A teacher is worth more than Neymar”, in a reference to Brazil’s star footballer who played and scored against Mexico.
Before the match, Neymar spoke in favor of the protesters, saying in a message on Facebook: “I’m Brazilian and I love my country. I have a family and friends who live in Brazil. For that reason, I want a Brazil which is more just, safer, healthier and more honest.
“The only way I can represent and defend Brazil is on the pitch, playing football. From now on, I will enter the field inspired by this movement.”
Football legend Pele urged demonstrators to end the protests.
“Let’s forget all this commotion happening in Brazil, and let’s remember how the Brazilian squad is our country and our blood,” he said.
The current unrest is the biggest since 1992, when people took to the streets to demand the impeachment of then-President Fernando Collor de Mello.
Vice-President Michel Temer cut short a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Wednesday to return to Brazil.
President Dilma Rousseff has said she was proud that so many people were fighting for a better country.
Many of the demonstrators have complained of the huge sums spent on construction for the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, which will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro.
The dilemma for the political leadership is how to answer so many different concerns among a vast group of people with momentum and social media on their side, correspondents say.
Brazil’s government has announced it will deploy troops to five major cities to control a wave of protests which has seen almost a quarter of a million people demand better public services.
Members of a national force will be sent to Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Ceara and the capital, Brasilia.
All of the cities are hosting games in FIFA’s Confederations Cup.
The announcement comes after riot police and protesters clashed in fresh protests on Tuesday in Sao Paulo.
Brazil’s ministry of justice said that Recife was the only Confederations Cup host city not to request military support.
Brazil’s government will deploy troops to five major cities to control a wave of protests which has seen 250,000 people demand better public services
A source in the ministry said it would be up to local governments to decide how long the troops would stay.
Shops and banks in Brazil’s largest city, Sao Paulo, were vandalized on Tuesday by groups of masked activists, who fought other demonstrators trying to stop the violence.
The protest was the latest in a wave of demonstrations engulfing at least a dozen cities.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said she was proud that so many people were fighting for a better country.
The protests were sparked by anger at a rise in public transport fare prices in Sao Paulo on June 2 but have since mushroomed into much broader discontent with high levels of corruption, the poor state of the health and education services and the high cost of living.
They are the largest since 1992, when people took to the streets to demand the impeachment of then-President Fernando Collor de Mello.
At least 200,000 people have marched through the streets of Brazil’s biggest cities, as protests over rising public transport costs and the expense of staging the 2014 World Cup have spread.
The biggest demonstration was in Rio de Janeiro, where 100,000 people joined a mainly peaceful march.
In the capital, Brasilia, people breached security at the National Congress building and scaled its roof.
In Brazil’s largest city, Sao Paulo, about 65,000 people took to the streets.
The wave of protests kicked off earlier this month when Sao Paulo residents marched against an increase in the price of a single bus fare, from 3 reals ($1.40) to 3.20.
Authorities said the rise was well below inflation, which since the last price increase in January 2011 has been 15.5%, according to official figures.
The way these initial marches were policed – with officers accused of firing rubber bullets and tear gas at peaceful protesters – further incensed Sao Paulo residents and shifted the focus from rising transport costs to wider issues.
“For many years, the government has been feeding corruption, people are demonstrating against the system,” Graciela Cacador told Reuters news agency.
Others complained about vast sums of money spent on hosting the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics instead of being invested in health and education.
“This is a communal cry saying: <<We’re not satisfied!>>,” Maria Claudia Cardoso told the Associated Press news agency.
At least 200,000 people have marched through the streets of Brazil’s biggest cities, as protests over rising public transport costs and the expense of staging the 2014 World Cup have spread
“We don’t have good schools for our kids. Our hospitals are in awful shape. Corruption is rife. These protests will make history and wake our politicians up to the fact we’re not taking it anymore,” she said.
“We need better education, hospitals and security, not billions spent on the World Cup,” said one mother who attended the Sao Paulo march with her daughter.
“We’re a rich country with a lot of potential but the money doesn’t go to those who need it most,” 26-year-old photographer Manoela Chiabai told the Associated Press.
Police took a hands-off approach at Monday’s demonstration following an earlier meeting between protest organizers and security chiefs at which they had agreed that regular police would not carry rubber bullet guns.
Protests were reported in as many as 11 cities on Monday.
In Rio 100,000 people took part in a mainly peaceful march, although a small group threw rocks at police, wounding five officers. They also set fire to a car and vandalized the state assembly building.
Police there reportedly used tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse them.
There were also clashes with police in Belo Horizonte, which was hosting the latest game in the Confederations Cup, the warm-up tournament for the World Cup.
An 18-year-old is reportedly in a stable condition in hospital after falling from an overpass in the city.
And in Brasilia, more than 200 protesters managed to get onto the roof of the National Congress building. After negotiations with police, the crowd agreed to leave. Later, youths formed a human chain around the building, the AFP news agency said.
“Peaceful demonstrations are legitimate,” President Dilma Rousseff said in a statement.
“It is natural for the young to demonstrate.”
However, Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo warned protesters that the authorities would not allow them to disrupt the Confederations Cup or next year’s World Cup.
“The government assumed the responsibility and the honor to stage these two international events, and will do so, ensuring the security and integrity of the fans and tourists,” he said.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, called on both sides to remain calm.
“We urge the Brazilian authorities to exercise restraint in dealing with spreading social protests in the country, and also call on demonstrators not to resort to acts of violence in pursuit of their demands,” said a spokesman for the High Commissioner.
“With further protests planned, we are however concerned that the reported excessive use of police force in recent days should not be repeated.”
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