Financial Adjustment Package Once Again Provokes Manifestations in Rio

02/02/2017 - 14h53

The first session of Rio's Legislature after their year-end recess seemed like a day out of 2016. While Parliamentarians inside the Assembly were reelecting Jorge Picciani (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party) to his sixth term leading the Legislature, public servants on the outside were entering into battle with the police.

Radicalized due to overdue salaries and the possibility that these could be further reduced in function of the State's financial adjustment package, public servants were forcing the bar fences around the Assembly.

Members of the Military Police and the National Force responded with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets. Some of the public servants threw rocks and fireworks back.

The police advanced in force, pushing the protestors far away, but they promptly took over the principal streets in the city center. The situation got out of control in many locations.

The Military Police announced that they had arrested a Civil Policeman who was participating in the manifestation and who had supposedly fired a loaded pistol.

Voting is set to begin on the 7th on the first part of the Fiscal Recuperation Package agreed to with the Federal Government.

The adoption of austerity measures was one of the conditions imposed by the Federal Government in order for it to agree to allow the State to be free from interest payments for three years on its federal debt payments.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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