Brazil’s widespread protests went from peaceful to violent Monday night, with police in Rio de Janeiro firing rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators who were burning cars and ravaging buildings. Meanwhile, in the capital, Brasília, tens of thousands of people were seen charging on the National Congress building. Two hundred thousand people took to the streets of Brazil’s biggest cities to protest government corruption, rising public transportation costs, and the belief that billions of dollars that could have been spent on health care and education were wasted on stadiums and other preparations for the World Cup and the Olympics. The protests—some of the largest Brazil has ever had—coincide with the beginning of the Confederation Cup.
