Tag: olympics protest

Protests shake Rio hours before opening Olympics gala

  RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) – by Sebastian Smith with Laura Bonilla Cal Thousands of Brazilians angry at political upheaval, corruption and the cost of the Rio Olympics blocked traffic in protests Friday ahead of the gala opening ceremony. About 3,000 people occupied the busy avenue running along Copacabana beach, while a smaller crowd including radical leftists faced off with mounted police near the Maracana stadium where the opening was to be staged. Most […]

Protests darken mood for Rio Olympic opening ceremony

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) – by Sebastian Smith Protesters will take to Rio’s streets Friday during the Olympics opening ceremony and heckle Brazil’s unpopular acting president in the stadium, setting an angry backdrop to South America’s first Games. With the eyes of the world on Rio, Brazilians furious over the country’s political crisis, crippling recession and what they see as an Olympics favoring the rich will seize the limelight. Protests are scheduled in the morning […]