Prince Harry Causes Commotion in Crackland

06/27/2014 - 09h22

It was a turbulent morning this Thursday 26 in crackland in the centre of São Paulo. Prince Harry (of England), 29, had mobilized both the media and the police early on.

"If the prince comes to see us and kisses my hand, I´ll stop using crack right now," joked one drug user.

Fourth in line to the British throne, Harry visited the headquarters of the Braços Abertos (literally Open Arms) program, alongside the mayor Fernando Haddad (PT).

The municipal project seeks to rehabilitate substance abusers in crackland by offering them work, accommodation and food.

As soon as he arrived with the delegation he decided to visit the area on foot. His first stop was to visit the van used by the local police for video monitoring the area.

He then entered the program headquarters. There, with the help of an interpreter, he spoke to 28 year old drug addict Evandro Martins Silva Junior for a few minutes. "I know he has smoked marihuana," he said.

In the meantime, some users, who were caught by surprise, tried to understand the commotion.

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"William, William!" shouted Fábio Pereira da Silva, 33, a drug user who is on the program. "What prince is this?" he asked, confusing Harry with his older brother. "Why didn´t they send us a princess?"

Others joked about England´s elimination from the World Cup. "A prince from England here? But wasn´t England eliminated?" they laughed.

COMMOTION

His route was diverted away from the area where the users usually congregate. Over 50 people were gathered there this morning.

The diversion was created to avoid a commotion. The drug users usually throw sticks and stones at photo and video cameras, and this visit attracted dozens of Brazilian and British journalists.

Direct contact was avoided but some cameramen ended up having their cameras hit by users who objected to being filmed.

"This visit shows a lack of respect. The person comes here to visit us but we can´t get close to him? What kind of a visit is this?" complained one user who hadn´t been able to get close to Harry.

Prince Harry's visit was cut short due to the commotion caused by onlookers, substance abusers and journalists.

"The prince is very humble," said Marcos Vinicius, 21, who has been in the area for the past five years. "He has come from the other side [of the world] to visit the ugly side of Sao Paulo. This place here is the worst."

Translated by MILLI LEGRAIN

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