The opening day of the 2014 FIFA football World Cup in Brazil will be marked by protests and labour union strikes in a number of Brazilian cities, according to Dr. Laurence Allan, Head of Latin America Analysis IHS Country Risk.
The key concern is the Não Vai Ter Copa protest. The last protest from the Não Vai Ter Copa meaning “there will be no World Cup” on 31 May was infiltrated by so-called Black Bloc activists. These activists attempted en masse to jump ticket barriers at Barra Funda Metro station, sparking confrontations with the security forces and the temporary closure of that Metro station.
Around 3.5 km from the stadium, another protest action by the Homeless Workers Movement (Movimiento dos Trabalhadores sem Teto: MTST) is planned. Should the projected 3,000 Não Vai Ter Copa protesters merge with the MTST action, there will be a heightened risk of conflict with security forces in the zone around the stadium, although a security cordon of between 500 -1,000 meters and saturation policing will ensure security in the immediate precincts of the stadium.
Next week when the event is in full flow we will be able to gauge how disruptive industrial action is likely to be.
Local and social media have reported anti-World Cup protests scheduled for cities including host cities Brasília, Rio do Janeiro, and Fortaleza. Protests are also planned for non-host cities including Belém and São Luis in the northeast of the country.
In São Paulo, where the opening fixture of the tournament between Brazil and Croatia will take place at 1700 local time, at least four different protests are planned. A “Não Vai Ter Copa” (“There will be no World Cup” protest) will occur at the Carrão metro station, on the city’s Red Line, in theTatuapé zone in the in the northeast of the city, from 1000 local time. The Red Line serves the new Corinthians-Itaquera stadium where the opening match will take place. Protesters intend to march with around 3,000 people from Carrão Metro to the Itaquera stadium, approximately 12 kilometres (km) apart.
Other actions are planned by the Metro workers’ union, which has suspended its threatened strike action, but which will hold a public rally on Rua Serra de Japi,Tatuapé.