The streets of Brazilian cities filled with people on Sunday as hundreds of thousands turned up to protest against the government.
Some 1.4 million demonstrated in São Paulo, capital of the country’s wealthiest state and the biggest city in Brazil, making it the largest protest ever seen in the city outstripping even that in 1984 against the dictatorship, according to military police.
Smaller, but still significant demonstrations took place in other cities, demanding the impeachment of left-leaning President Dilma Rousseff (pictured) and her government, many of whom are entangled in a corruption probe, dubbed Operation Car Wash, which has already engulfed the leading oil and gas company Petrobras.
The demonstration had been planned in advance but it is likely that protestor numbers swelled as the country learned last week that former president Lula da Silva had been questioned by police and later charged over separate money laundering allegations.
There had been fears that pro-impeachment protesters would clash with those who supported the Rousseff’s Workers’ Party (PT) but the day passed without any major incident.
In a statement released on Sunday night, President Rousseff’s spokesman said: “The freedom to protest is characteristic of democracies and all must be respected.
“The peaceful nature of the demonstrations that took place on Sunday demonstrates the maturity of a country that knows how to live with divergent opinions and knows how to ensure respect for its laws and institutions.”
