Brazil World Cup 2014: Clashes at Sao Paulo protest

A CNN journalist was injured in the clashes
A CNN journalist was injured in the clashes
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BBC online: Police in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo have used tear gas to break up a protest against the football World Cup, hours before the city hosts the opening match. At least one protester was arrested and a CNN journalist was injured. Protesters had tried to block a road leading to the stadium where the opening ceremony will take place. Further protests are planned in other Brazilian cities over the expense of hosting the tournament. TV footage in Sao Paulo showed riot police using tear gas and rubber truncheons to disperse about 50 protesters near a metro station on the route to the Arena Corinthians. Police moved in after the demonstrators refused to clear the road. The demonstrators had been chanting “there won’t be a Cup”. A tweet from CNN presenter Alex Thomas said Sao Paulo producer Barbara Arvanitidis had suffered a suspected broken arm reporting from the riots. The violence happened about 13km (8 miles) from the stadium where Brazil will play Croatia at 20:00 GMT. Last year, more than a million people joined protests across the country to demand better public services and highlight corruption and the high cost of staging the World Cup. Since then, other smaller anti-World Cup protests have been staged in Brazil, with some descending into violence.

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