Posted AT 3:13 AM EST ON 09/03/07
Protests mark start of Bush visit to Brazil
Sao Paulo first stop on five-country Latin America tour
STAN LEHMAN
Associated Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070309.wbush0309/BNStory/International/home
SAO PAULO ― Police clashed with Brazilians protesting against a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday, while dozens of students in Colombia showed their opposition by lobbing rocks and explosives at authorities.
Violence in Sao Paulo, Brazil, took place several hours before Mr. Bush arrived in South America's largest city on the first stop of his five-country Latin America tour.
More than 6,000 students, environmentalists and leftist Brazilians held a largely peaceful march through the financial heart of Brazil before police fired tear gas at protesters and beat them with batons. Hundreds fled and ducked into businesses to avoid the chaos, some of them bloodied.
Authorities did not disclose the number of injuries, but Brazilian media said at least 18 people were hurt and news photographs showed injured people being carried away.
Related to this article
A demonstrator in Sao Paulo holds a poster that reads 'get out Bush' during a protest on Thursday against a visit to Brazil by U.S. President George W. Bush. Andre Penner/AP
A demonstrator in Sao Paulo holds a poster that reads 'get out Bush' during a protest on Thursday against a visit to Brazil by U.S. President George W. Bush. (Andre Penner/AP)
Protesters said scuffles broke out when some radical demonstrators provoked officers and threw sticks at them ― but said police overreacted. A police officer who declined to give his name in keeping with department policy confirmed extremists appeared to cause the confrontations.
After the clash, the protest continued peacefully but with far fewer people. The marchers waved communist flags and railed against Mr. Bush, the war in Iraq and a proposal for a U.S.-Brazilian ethanol alliance. Almost all had departed by sundown and streets were calm several hours later when Mr. Bush arrived in Sao Paulo.
In the southern Brazilian city Porto Alegre, more than 500 people yelled: “Get Out, Imperialist!” as they marched to a Citigroup Inc. bank branch and burned an effigy of Mr. Bush. Protesters also targeted the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro, splattering it with bright red paint meant to signify blood.
In Colombia, about 200 masked students at Bogota's National University clashed with 300 anti-riot police carrying shields and helmets, spray-painting anti-U.S. slogans on walls and shouting: “Out Bush!”
Police fired water cannons and tear gas and the students hurled back rocks, fireworks, a few Molotov cocktails and dozens of “potato bombs” ― small explosives made of gunpowder wrapped in foil. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.
The Colombian demonstrators called for the scuttling of a U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement signed in November and currently stalled in U.S. Congress and accused Washington of meddling in the South American country's internal affairs by sending some $700-million (U.S.) a year in mostly military aid.
Colombia is beefing up security in the capital for Mr. Bush's visit Sunday, the first by a sitting U.S. president since Ronald Reagan in 1982. About 21,000 security agents will patrol the capital.
Meanwhile, Colombia's police chief said authorities have foiled leftist guerrilla plans for terrorist acts to disrupt Mr. Bush's visit but offered no details.
Asked about the protests, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Mr. Bush “enjoys travelling to thriving democracies where freedom of speech and expression are the law of the land.”
“He has a positive agenda here that we believe the people of Brazil and the rest of the Americas will benefit from.”
Some protesters in Brazil carried stalks of sugarcane ― which is used to make ethanol ― and a banner reading: “For every litre of ethanol produced, four litres of fresh water are consumed, monoculture is destroying the nation's greatest asset.”
“Bush and the United States go to war to control oil reserves and now Bush and his pals are trying to control the production of ethanol in Brazil. And that has to be stopped,” said Suzanne Pereira dos Santos of Brazil's Landless Workers Movement.
Activists from the environmental group Greenpeace warned increased ethanol production could lead to further clearing of the Amazon rain forest as well as cause social unrest, since most sugarcane-ethanol operations are run by wealthy families or corporations that reap most of the benefits while the poor are left to cut the cane with machetes.
Mr. Bush has spoken approvingly of Brazil's ethanol program, which powers eight out of every 10 new cars. The proposed accord is meant to help turn ethanol into an internationally traded commodity and promote sugarcane-based ethanol production in Central America and the Caribbean.
Brazil is mounting what has been described as its biggest security effort ever in Sao Paulo. About 4,000 agents ― including Brazilian troops and FBI and U.S. Secret Service officers ― will be on hand during Mr. Bush's almost 24-hour visit.
Graffiti reading: “Get Out, Bush! Assassin!” appeared on walls near locations in Brazil where Bush will drive past on his tour, which also includes stops in Uruguay, Guatemala and Mexico.
However, there were no visible signs of protesters along Mr. Bush's motorcade route in the nearly hour-long drive from Sao Paulo's airport to his hotel.
In Mexico, which Mr. Bush is scheduled to visit Tuesday, about two dozen demonstrators gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy in the capital chanting slogans against the U.S. project to construct border fences and Bush's visit.
Carmelo Ramirez Reyes showed up in a devil's mask, carrying a placard reading: “My name is George Bush, killer of Mexicans.”
Policemen in São Paulo, Brazil subduing a demonstrator yesterday during a march to protest President Bush’s tour, which started last night.
Protests mark start of Bush visit to Brazil
Sao Paulo first stop on five-country Latin America tour
STAN LEHMAN
Associated Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070309.wbush0309/BNStory/International/home
SAO PAULO ― Police clashed with Brazilians protesting against a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday, while dozens of students in Colombia showed their opposition by lobbing rocks and explosives at authorities.
Violence in Sao Paulo, Brazil, took place several hours before Mr. Bush arrived in South America's largest city on the first stop of his five-country Latin America tour.
More than 6,000 students, environmentalists and leftist Brazilians held a largely peaceful march through the financial heart of Brazil before police fired tear gas at protesters and beat them with batons. Hundreds fled and ducked into businesses to avoid the chaos, some of them bloodied.
Authorities did not disclose the number of injuries, but Brazilian media said at least 18 people were hurt and news photographs showed injured people being carried away.
Related to this article
A demonstrator in Sao Paulo holds a poster that reads 'get out Bush' during a protest on Thursday against a visit to Brazil by U.S. President George W. Bush. Andre Penner/AP
A demonstrator in Sao Paulo holds a poster that reads 'get out Bush' during a protest on Thursday against a visit to Brazil by U.S. President George W. Bush. (Andre Penner/AP)
Protesters said scuffles broke out when some radical demonstrators provoked officers and threw sticks at them ― but said police overreacted. A police officer who declined to give his name in keeping with department policy confirmed extremists appeared to cause the confrontations.
After the clash, the protest continued peacefully but with far fewer people. The marchers waved communist flags and railed against Mr. Bush, the war in Iraq and a proposal for a U.S.-Brazilian ethanol alliance. Almost all had departed by sundown and streets were calm several hours later when Mr. Bush arrived in Sao Paulo.
In the southern Brazilian city Porto Alegre, more than 500 people yelled: “Get Out, Imperialist!” as they marched to a Citigroup Inc. bank branch and burned an effigy of Mr. Bush. Protesters also targeted the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro, splattering it with bright red paint meant to signify blood.
In Colombia, about 200 masked students at Bogota's National University clashed with 300 anti-riot police carrying shields and helmets, spray-painting anti-U.S. slogans on walls and shouting: “Out Bush!”
Police fired water cannons and tear gas and the students hurled back rocks, fireworks, a few Molotov cocktails and dozens of “potato bombs” ― small explosives made of gunpowder wrapped in foil. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.
The Colombian demonstrators called for the scuttling of a U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement signed in November and currently stalled in U.S. Congress and accused Washington of meddling in the South American country's internal affairs by sending some $700-million (U.S.) a year in mostly military aid.
Colombia is beefing up security in the capital for Mr. Bush's visit Sunday, the first by a sitting U.S. president since Ronald Reagan in 1982. About 21,000 security agents will patrol the capital.
Meanwhile, Colombia's police chief said authorities have foiled leftist guerrilla plans for terrorist acts to disrupt Mr. Bush's visit but offered no details.
Asked about the protests, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Mr. Bush “enjoys travelling to thriving democracies where freedom of speech and expression are the law of the land.”
“He has a positive agenda here that we believe the people of Brazil and the rest of the Americas will benefit from.”
Some protesters in Brazil carried stalks of sugarcane ― which is used to make ethanol ― and a banner reading: “For every litre of ethanol produced, four litres of fresh water are consumed, monoculture is destroying the nation's greatest asset.”
“Bush and the United States go to war to control oil reserves and now Bush and his pals are trying to control the production of ethanol in Brazil. And that has to be stopped,” said Suzanne Pereira dos Santos of Brazil's Landless Workers Movement.
Activists from the environmental group Greenpeace warned increased ethanol production could lead to further clearing of the Amazon rain forest as well as cause social unrest, since most sugarcane-ethanol operations are run by wealthy families or corporations that reap most of the benefits while the poor are left to cut the cane with machetes.
Mr. Bush has spoken approvingly of Brazil's ethanol program, which powers eight out of every 10 new cars. The proposed accord is meant to help turn ethanol into an internationally traded commodity and promote sugarcane-based ethanol production in Central America and the Caribbean.
Brazil is mounting what has been described as its biggest security effort ever in Sao Paulo. About 4,000 agents ― including Brazilian troops and FBI and U.S. Secret Service officers ― will be on hand during Mr. Bush's almost 24-hour visit.
Graffiti reading: “Get Out, Bush! Assassin!” appeared on walls near locations in Brazil where Bush will drive past on his tour, which also includes stops in Uruguay, Guatemala and Mexico.
However, there were no visible signs of protesters along Mr. Bush's motorcade route in the nearly hour-long drive from Sao Paulo's airport to his hotel.
In Mexico, which Mr. Bush is scheduled to visit Tuesday, about two dozen demonstrators gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy in the capital chanting slogans against the U.S. project to construct border fences and Bush's visit.
Carmelo Ramirez Reyes showed up in a devil's mask, carrying a placard reading: “My name is George Bush, killer of Mexicans.”
Policemen in São Paulo, Brazil subduing a demonstrator yesterday during a march to protest President Bush’s tour, which started last night.
