Anti-Government Protests Consume Copacabana Beach

(ATR) In Rio de Janeiro, protesters packed Avenida Atlantica along Copacabana Beach to voice their frustration with the national government.

While the gripes of the protesters had nothing to do with the Rio 2016 Olympics, the demonstration forced the alteration of the course of the road cycling test event. For the Games, the road cycling course will start and end in Copacabana Beach, but on Aug. 16 the test event started in Copacabana and ended in the Sao Conrado neighborhoods, miles west of the protesters. The event, featuring cyclists from 20 countries, started earlier in the day.

Supporters of the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) organized the demonstration, and took en masse to call for the impeachment ofBrazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

Protests took place simultaneously in over 200 cities across Brazil.

Many protesters carried signs that called for the removal of Rousseff . Most wore the PMDB's colors of green and yellow.

Protesters who spoke to Around the Rings shared mixed feelings about the Olympic Games, which were brought to Rio de Janeiro by former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2009, a member of the the Worker's Party as well.

Jose da Silva, told ATR that he was here to protest the government corruption, but remained an ardent supporter of the Games, despite the sagging Brazilian economy.

"The Olympics has nothing to do with the government; it just has to do with the marvelous city," da Silva said.

"We need to have a serious government, not a corrupt government. We are going to have the Olympics and want to welcome everyone."

Another protester, Sandra Lima said to ATRthat she supported the Games, but traveled to Copacabana "because it is embarrassing what Brazil is going through."

"I think that the Olympics are always welcome because Brazil has always been known outside of the country, but I don't know what kind of risk we run with all the people who are going to come because it's not a safe country," Lima said.

"We didn't vote for Dilma. We voted for someone else. Everyone was against her and they still voted for her. Now we have to go back and do it all over again."

Some of their fellow protesters held a different stance on the expenditures. Eliene Zlatkin told ATR that "there are many other towns that could have hosted the Olympic Games."

"We have other priorities," Zlatkin said.

"I am against the Olympic Games. We must take of ourselves, the economy, and everyday life. Everything is wrong with this government."

Henrique Rodriques told ATR he opposed the Olympics because "the economy in Brazil is not growing."

"Many people especially the middle class are going to be poor because of our communist government," Rodriques said.

"We don’t want that we want in my point of view we need impeachment of the government."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Rio de Janeiro

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