'Temer Out': Nationwide Strike Against Austerity Reforms in Brazil Turns Violent

Brazilian police used tear gas as clashes broke out Friday amid massive protests against unpopular reforms proposed by President Michel Temer.

کد خبر: ۶۸۹۲۶۶

تاریخ: ۰۹ ارديبهشت ۱۳۹۶ - ۱۰:۳۹

Sputnik — Violence erupted on Friday in Brazil’s major cities after a general strike called by labor unions to oppose austerity reforms led to clashes between riot police and thousands of protesters, media reported.
In Rio de Janeiro, crowds blocked roads, set fire to buses and vandalized stores in protest against President Michel Temer’s pension reform proposals, the BBC broadcaster reported.​

The president deplored chaos in the streets of Rio, but stressed his government would press on with its "efforts to modernize the country," according to the outlet.

Roads were also blocked in Sao Paolo. Huge crowds of people were seen marching on the president’s residence after dawn with banners that read "Temer Out." Police fired tear gas to break up the mobs.

The general strike, reportedly the first one in two decades, was called after the Brazilian government unveiled its plans to raise the retirement age and cut pension benefits in a bid to trim budget expenses, which it said were weighing the national economy down.