Clashes Between Police and Protestors Leave 170 Injured in Curitiba

04/30/2015 - 10h04

A clash between the Military Police and public sector workers in Curitiba left at least 180 people injured on Wednesday afternoon, with 35 being hospitalized.

The trouble took place outside the Paraná Legislative Assembly, during voting on legislation proposed by the administration of Beto Richa (PSDB) to reduce spending on pensions for public sector workers.

The violence began when protestors tried to break the police barrier at the Assembly. The police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. The confrontations lasted for at least two hours.

Protestors used sticks and stones, according to the State Ministry of Public Security, with 20 police officers among the wounded. Six people were arrested. The Ministry also alleges that protestors used black-bloc tactics, a charge denied by the unions who organized the protest.

According to the unions, there were 15,000 protestors. The Military Police did not provide figures.

Hoping to put pressure on representatives to vote down the legislation, demonstrators attempted to enter the Assembly, which police have been guarding since the beginning of the week on Richa's orders. A court had ordered that the vote should go ahead without the presence of protestors.

The government wanted to avoid a repetition of events in February, when demonstrators invaded the Assembly to protest against Richa's program of fiscal adjustment. The program included the measure on pensions.

On Wednesday, public sector workers, teachers and students in Curitiba were joined by busloads of demonstrators who travelled from cities elsewhere in the state.

Curitiba's City Hall, located opposite the Assembly, became a makeshift infirmary for the wounded, with the most serious cases being taken to hospital. During the violence, demonstrators took cover in the lobby, many of them bleeding. Civil servants handed out water and tried to calm people down.

Children in a crèche located next to the Assembly also suffered from the effects of the tear gas used by police.

In a statement, the Order of Brazilian Lawyers repudiated the violence, while the state government said that it "profoundly laments" the clashes, blaming the "radicalism and irrationality of masked demonstrators."

The Public Prosecutor has filed an investigation into "possible excesses" by the Military Police.

SESSION

The session in the Assembly was interrupted for nearly ten minutes by tear gas which reached the chamber. It was resumed despite the noise of tear gas grenades and shouting from outside.

The Richa administration mobilized nearly 2000 police officers to defend the building, as Folha has learnt.

During the police operation, the report heard orders given by a police commander. "If you need to use the baton, make sure you strike low," he said. "No high blows."

Outside, protestors carried placards, shouting "get back, get back!" and "I'm in the fight!" However, by the evening, they had admitted defeat.

The project, which reduces public spending on pensions, will allegedly save the government R$1.7 billion (US$575 million) a year. The state has been in a financial crisis since 2014.

Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE

Read the article in the original language

	Rodolfo Buhrer/La Imagem/Fotoarena/Folhapress
	The clash left at least 170 people injured, with 35 being hospitalized