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Police, protesters clash in Rio over fare hike

07 February 2014 04:56 (UTC +04:00)

On Thursday, police and protesters violently clashed in the city’s main train station. The protest came after the mayor of Rio announced a ten percent rise in bus fares from February 8.

Police used batons and tear gas to force the angry demonstrators out of the station. The demonstrators responded by throwing rocks at the officers.

The protesters also condemned the billions of dollars spent to host the World Cup, money that they said should be used for better hospitals, schools and infrastructure.

"If it was a public transportation fare hike when we had good health services and education, you wouldn't have this many people on the street," Thais Jorao, a 22-year-old protester, said.

"On top of this you see spending with the World Cup, things that we really don't need. We want health, education, decent public transportation," he added.

Thursday's protest was the latest to hit Brazil since last June, when nationwide demonstrations erupted over a heavy-handed police crackdown on a group in Sao Paulo that was marching to demand authorities to revoke an increase in public transportation fares.