The opening of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is close at hand. But as several media reported, there have been protests and strikes in several cities across Brazil, and on May 15 there was a big demonstration.
The demonstration by thousands of people — some media reported 4,000 to 5,000 while others said 1,000 to 1,500 —was much smaller than the one in June 2013 when about a million people in 80 cities marched on the street to protest the occasion of the Confederations Cup.
Certainly protesters' claims and demands this time are almost the same as last year's: The $11 billion budget for hosting the World Cup could better be utilized for other purposes. For example, the cost of renovating the stadium could pay for 200 schools or for realizing a decades-delayed government-subsidy program to construct houses for low-income people.