Title: Brazilian anti-World Cup protests hit Sao Paulo and Rio - BBC News
Headings: Brazilian anti-World Cup protests hit Sao Paulo and Rio
Brazilian anti-World Cup protests hit Sao Paulo and Rio
'More frequent'
'No panic'

Content: The demonstrations began earlier in the day in Sao Paulo, with one of the biggest protests in the city's Itaquera district near the Arena Corinthians stadium, which will host the tournament's opening match. Protesters there demanded housing, and not stadiums, be built in accordance with Fifa standards, in reference to world football's governing body. 'No panic'
"Our goal is symbolic," said Guilherme Boulos, the head of Homeless Workers Movement. "We don't want to destroy or damage the stadium. What we want is more rights for workers to have access to housing and to show the effects the Cup has brought to the poor." image copyright
AFP
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Demonstrators in Sao Paulo burned tyres and blocked roads, and police responded with tear gas
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AFP
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The protest in Rio was mostly peaceful, but there were some clashes with police
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Reuters
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One protest in Sao Paulo was held near the stadium which will host the tournament's opening match
The government has tried to downplay the scale of Thursday's unrest, arguing it was not related to the World Cup. "From what I've seen, these are specific claims by workers. I've seen nothing that is related to the (World) Cup," Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said. "There's no reason to panic ahead of receiving three million Brazilian tourists and 600,000 foreign tourists (for the tournament)." The planned protests coincide with a range of strikes, including one by the police force in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco.