On Thursday night, protests against the Brazilian government over the course of the 2014 World Cup had turned violent when a demonstration calling for free public transit in the country broke out when a group of masked men started to set fires in the street and broke bank windows, TIME reported. The scene occurred in the midst of the intense match between England and Uruguay, which is just outside of the town.
Reuters said over a thousand people had gathered initially to commemorate the anniversary of a similar protest against a transit fare hike. However, it has been observed that such protests are a flash point for deep-seated frustrations on certain social issues like poverty and government spending. Although a small majority chanted anti-World Cup slogans, the group overall were focused on the success of the group on convincing the Brazilian government to halt plans of imposing a 10% hike of transport fares last year.
A police spokeswoman told the news agency that there have been no reports of injured protestors so far, or of foreign World Cup fans who have been caught up in the escalating violence.
Television images also showed the masked men spraying graffiti on vehicles, firing off rockets, with police responding by throwing tear gas bombs at them.
A protester named Ana told Reuters about the incident, "This protest today isn't against the Cup but more of a commemoration of what happened a year ago. We took to the streets today to show that we were victorious a year ago but also to reinforce that our goal is free transportation for all."
The news agency said the protest had shut down one of the main thoroughfares of the city, although the impact of traffic was not severe as it could have been as Thursday was a national holiday in Sao Paulo.
