Turkey and Brazil

[renard_ruse]

Why are there mass protests against democratically elected governments?

Its far different for a mob to try to topple a dictatorship than a democracy with functioning elections and reasonably fair elections.

 

[Sean]

Why are there mass protests against democratically elected governments?

Its far different for a mob to try to topple a dictatorship than a democracy with functioning elections and reasonably fair elections.

Brazil is about bus fares. OK, that was the trigger, but there's lots of background on the BBC if you care to get educated.

 

[KingOrfeo]

There have been plenty of mass protests in American history, too. It doesn't mean our democracy doesn't work, it's just a part of it working.

 

[dagdag]

It was first a peaceful demonstration about a mall project where people wanted to keep their park intact, not yet another shopping center. But, police brutality elevated the protests to nationwide protests supporting the freedoms! Freedom of speech, freedom to protest, freedom of assembly.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Brazil is about bus fares. OK, that was the trigger, but there's lots of background on the BBC if you care to get educated.

I thought this was the travel page and was a suggestion for Christmas dinners. I should've known this left wing pompous turd would have seized his opportunity.

 

[mercury14]

Why are there mass protests against democratically elected governments?

Its far different for a mob to try to topple a dictatorship than a democracy with functioning elections and reasonably fair elections.

Sometimes in a democracy things aren't perfect.

 

[oggbashan]

Brazil is about many issues.

The obvious one is the cost of staging the FIFA World Cup, with obscene amounts of money being spent on the venues and significant tax-free profits going to FIFA when Brazil's infrastructure needs the investment far more.

Another is that the public transport system is expensive being a significant proportion of workers' income, inefficient, crime-ridden but the only way for many people to get to and from work.

A third is corruption. So many fat cats are getting a cut of the FIFA construction projects.

Although Brazil is improving the lot of many of its poor citizens, crime is prevalent and as usual it is the poorest who suffer most. The Brazilan police are at best incompetent, at worst criminal in league with criminal gangs.

People want their government to spend money on things that make daily life better, not a massive vanity project like the FIFA World Cup.

The FIFA World Cup and the Olympics cost governments huge amounts of money and the legacy isn't improved facilities but massive debts that the taxpayers have to pay for - for years and years. The Chinese Birdcage stadium is now empty, as are many other specialist buildings from that and other previous Olympics.

The London Olympics tried to stage the event at a far lower cost than recent Summer Games, and to leave Olympic venues as useable facilities that regenerate the area. To some extent this has been a successful approach, but that regeneration could have been achieved more effectively at a much lower cost without the Olympics.

FIFA's World Cup in South Africa cost the South Africans massive sums, yet some of the venues were and are unnecessary - except to meet FIFA's outrageous demands.

If world class sporting events are going to continue, some countries are going to have to stop bidding for them until the organisers' requirements become more affordable.

Brazilians are telling their government that there are things that need investment and are more important than football, even though Brazilians love their football.