The protest wave now shaking Brazil was sparked by transit fare hikes—a fruit of privatization of the urban transport system in the 1990s. The protests were initially organized by the Movimento Passe Livre, demanding that mass transit be free for working people. But they tapped into a deep vein of social discontent, and the movement is now outside the control of any leaders. Euan Gibb of Canada’s Socialist Project, on the scene in São Paulo, provides an analysis of the movement’s roots and direction.
Photo: Socialist Project
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