Police prepare for more protests in Brazil

Thousands expected to march to Confederations Cup game in Belo Horizonte city as more forces called in to guard stadium.
Protests have taken place in the southeastern Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte before the national squad was to face Uruguay in the Confederations Cup semi-final.

Demonstrators blocked roads and set a bus ablaze on Wednesday, as authorities said they expected more than 60,000 to turn up when the match was expected to kicks off at 1900 GMT in the state capital of Minas Gerais.

About 5,000 policemen will be deployed to the stadium, with an additional 1,500 army personnel stationed at points throughout the city, sources told Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo in Brasilia.

A further 150 officers have been stationed outside the Brazilian team's hotel, our correspondent said.

FIFA cancelled a "Soccer for Hope" charity event due to be held in Belo Horizonte today, and postponed its chief Sepp Blatter's trip to the city.

Social media sites used by protest organisers were calling for more big demonstrations on Wednesday.

Demonstrations are scheduled in at least 12 Brazilian cities, including Brasilia, where 40,000 people are expected to march under the watchful eyes of 4,000 police.

A protest is also planned in Brasilia on Wednesday, and police confirmed that 4,000 officers would be made available to control the demonstrations.

Legislation shelved

Al Jazeera's Elizondo reported that protest organisers and the government met on Tuesday evening to try to reach an accord, agreeing on an area where protesters can be near the stadium without conflict.

Late on Tuesday night, about 10,000 people, mainly students, protested at Montes Claros in the north of Minas Gerais state, prompting many bars and businesses to bring the shutters down early for fear of looting.

Also on Tuesday, authorities said nine people, including a police officer, were killed in the Nova Holanda favela in Rio de Janeiro after a gun battle between police officers and criminals taking advantage of protests sweeping through the city to loot and steal.

Meanwhile, Brazil's Congress has shelved legislation that would have limited the power of federal prosecutors to investigate crimes such as political corruption.

The measure had become a target of protesters who flooded the streets of Brazil over the past two weeks as many said it would weaken efforts to prosecute corrupt officials.

The measure was rejected by a vote of 430 to nine, an indication that the government was trying to respond to the varying demands of the protests.

Public services

Many Brazilians believe that the huge cost of staging the Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup is to the detriment of public investment in health, transport and education.

Brazil's mass protests, which began two weeks ago, initially focused on public transport fare hikes - which were later reversed - but have since mushroomed into public anger over a variety issues, including the high cost of the World Cup, inadequate public services and political corruption.

President Dilma Rousseff last week proposed a popular referendum on sweeping political reforms, a $25bn investment in public transport and allocation of more resources for education, health and social services.

In an emergency meeting with Brazil's governors on Monday, Rousseff proposed a national plebiscite to ask voters whether they agree to holding a constituent assembly to reform Brazil's political system.

Legal experts said that was unconstitutional.



Aljazeera