poor | Red Butterfly Effect

The FIFA World Cup starts on Friday in Brazil. In the lead up to the competition, hundreds of thousands of Brazilians have taken to the street to protest the government’s spending of billions of dollars on stadiums and venues to host the event, while failing to spend money on health care, schooling and housing for the poor. Protesters have also been demonstrating against the forced removal of more than 250,00 people from their homes, as well as the “hygienisation” (or forced expulsion) of the homeless and the millions spent on arming the police in order for them to attack ordinary Brazilians who protest the FIFA world cup and government.

The Brazilian government has sought to introduce new “terrorism” laws which criminalise the right to protest. Amnesty International has warned that this is little more than a crack down on free speech and freedom of expression.

Despite severe police and state repression against protests in May, protesters have vowed to continue their protests. Worker are also planning to launch a series of strikes during the World Cup.

For more information on the protests against the World Cup, you can check out the website of the Popular Committee Against the Cup, which includes a protest manifesto and other information on why the people of Brazil are protesting. To access the website, please click here.

International Day Against the World Cup, May 15 (text of flyer)

Which is and will be the legacy of the 2014 soccer world cup?

9 deaths during the renovation of / in the soccer arenas of the world cup and 3 deaths in arenas which follow the same standards;
250.000 people forcefully removed from their homes;
Street vendors and independent artists who are forbidden to work;
Women, children and adolescents who suffer from sexual exploitation;
Homeless people who suffer violence and ”hygienisation” (are expelled from the downtown area);
Private corporations taking care of public space and streets;
Elitisation of the soccer stadiums;
Billions invested in armament of the police to use against the people;
Laws declaring state of emergency and criminalising demonstrations;
And an immense and questionable public debt the people will have to pay.

For this legacy, we hold responsible the corporations sponsoring the FIFA world cup, the construction companies, the mafias FIFA and CBF (Brazilian soccer federation), the municipal, state and federal governments, as well as the legislative and judicial branches!

What do we demand?

A decent home for all persons removed from their homes! Key for key!
End of the violence of the state and of the “hygienisation” in the downtown area!
Immediate revocation of FIFA’s “exclusive areas”, laid down in the “general law for the world cup” and permission for street workers to sell in these areas!
Creation of campaigns to fight sexual exploitation and human trafficking!
Non – installment of the special courts of FIFA!
Revocation of the law that grants general tax exemption to FIFA and its business partners!
Immediate stop to all bills and norms that define the crime of terrorism, that serve to criminalise social movements and increase violence against the young and black population!
Demilitarisation of the police and end of the repression of social movements!

We demand our “right to the city” and our right to protest!

WORLD CUP WITHOUT THE PEOPLE – WE’RE BACK ON THE STREET!

#15M – #DayAgainstWorldCup