Riot Police Uses Water Cannons, Tear Gas To Disperse Anti-World Cup Protesters

Brazilian police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a small group of anti-World Cup protesters blocking a road to the stadium where Brazil played against Mexico on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

At least 30 people were arrested in the demonstration after the group of about 100 tried to block the main street to the Castelão stadium in the northeastern city of Fortaleza, local police spokesman Fernando Albano told Reuters, Reuters reported.

Some masked protesters threw rocks and sticks at buses emblazoned with logos of soccer's governing body FIFA before riot police and an armed vehicle moved in to disperse the crowd, television images showed, according to Reuters.

In another demonstration in Rio de Janeiro, police used pepper spray to disperse a crowd of about 100 people and detained at least seven, local police said, Reuters reported.

Protests by Brazilians angry about alleged wasteful spending for the World Cup have been tamer than many feared following last year's massive demonstrations during a warm-up tournament, which eroded the popularity of President Dilma Rousseff, according to Reuters.

Anti-World Cup protests have broken out in several cities and some have turned violent, but most have attracted only a few hundred people, Reuters reported.

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