Riots followed demonstrations in Brazil over the World Cup.
Shop fronts and bank windows were smashed and cars burnt in Sao Paulo. Police clashed with a crowd of some 2,500 in running street battles, and up to 128 people were arrested.
Authorities there called off an event to celebrate the city’s 460th anniversary.
Initially the protest was peaceful, but turned when joined by an anarchist group called the Black Block.
Solidarity protests were also staged in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, the capital, as organisers planned for a series of mass demonstrations in the run-up to the World Cup, which begins in June.
Despite the country’s love of football, many resent the large scale spending devoted to the tournament amidst calls for decent public services, such as health, education, transport, sanitation and housing.
A long line of toilets was set up along Copacabana beach in Rio which demonstrators sat on to highlight that 70% of Rio’s sewage is untreated before being dumped in the sea.
Last year, many protests turned violent with the advent of the Confederations Cup, the tournament which precedes the World Cup.
