Behind the Rio games lies a calamity on an olympic scale - TruePublica
Behind the Rio games lies a calamity on an olympic scale
By Sue Branford
Global Justice
–
As the Olympics gets underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilians and
foreigners alike will almost certainly have a great time. Despite the
delays, the protests and the Zica virus (now apparently under control),
there is a lot going for these Olympics: no other people in the world
are as good as the Brazilians at organising spontaneous street parties;
the weather is warm but not sweltering; and Rio de Janeiro is one of the
most beautiful cities in the world.
But this should not mask the disturbing political changes that are happening in Brazil at this very moment.
At a press conference in Rio on Thursday (4 August) leaders from
Brazil’s three leading fronts, representing the main social movements,
expressed their profound apprehension.
Edson Carneiro, a leader from Intersindical, a radical trade union
body, said: “There are 10,000 journalists in the city and we must get
our message across to them – that there is a coup underway. Information
isn’t getting out, as all the powerful media groups in Brazil support
it. We must break through the information blockade.”
