VICOSA, Brazil — Close to 5,000 people took to the streets of Viçosa on Tuesday night as a part of the mass protests sweeping Brazil during the Confederations Cup soccer tournament.
The demonstrations were initially organized to protest the increase in bus, train, and metro prices in the city of São Paulo. However, these demonstrations catalyzed a reaction of demonstrations throughout Brazil about issues in various topics such as health, education and the misappropriation of investments.
On Tuesday night, people in Viçosa protested for quality health care. The protest began in the city square called “Quatro Pilastras” and protestors chanted, “vem pra rua!” meaning “come to the street!” as the mass moved forward.
Medical students wore their lab coats and clown noses — a symbol throughout Brazilian protests to signify people no longer want to be treated like clowns.
“There is a complete lack of interest and investments in the public system created by the government itself,” said Marcelo Sasleria, junior in geography at the University of Federal Vicosa. “I am protesting so that there will be real change, not just ideal change that never actually happens.”
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People chanted over and over, “Dr. Celito não é legal e, o povo morre na fila do hospital.” In English, this phrase means, “Dr. Celito, it’s not cool, the people are dying in line at the hospital.”
Celito Francisco Sari, whom of several protest chants were directed at, is a doctor and the mayor of the city of Viçosa.
“I am protesting for a better Viçosa,” Agnes Sontos, senior in engineering at Federal Vicosa, said. “For a better Brazil. For justice.”
In light of the protest, Brazil’s president has suffered a steep drop in the polls. In a poll released Saturday, 30 percent of voters say they’ll cast their ballot for Dilma Rousseff in October 2014 — that is down from 51 percent just a few weeks ago.
“The protest movement that began two weeks ago isn’t necessarily a movement against the (ruling) Workers Party nor Dilma personally, it’s a protest against the entire ruling class,” said Pedro Arruda, a political science professor at the Catholic University of Sao Paulo. “If polled, the unpopularity would be of all politicians. The people are protesting all the parties.”
Rousseff is expected to deliver a formal proposal to the Brazilian congress early next week on a political reform plebiscite she wants held in the coming months. She hasn’t yet released any details on what political reforms she will suggest nor how or exactly when a plebiscite would occur.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Claire can be at [email protected].
