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Six days away...: Brazil braces for waves of Cup protests

Around 157,000 troops and police will be deployed across the 12 host venues for the Cup.

Afp June 05, 2014

Brazilian Army soldiers stand guard at the Puente de Amistad in Foz do Iguacu, Parana, during security operations to prevent weapons and explosives smuggling ahead of the upcoming Brazil World Cup. PHOTO: AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO: With a week to go before the World Cup kicks off, Brazilian authorities are bracing for waves of public protests over the cost of staging the event.

Caught out by the scale of demonstrations which accompanied last year’s Confederations Cup dress rehearsal event, authorities have made detailed plans to counter anything from street protests to terrorist attacks.

“We have defined 15 areas of intervention over the past year and a half and have drawn up protocols on how to respond in each case, based on repeated testing.

“We are ready,” said government state secretary for major events Andrei Rodrigues. “When it comes to security one can never let one’s guard down.”

Around 157,000 troops and police will be deployed across the 12 host venues for the Cup, running from June 12-July 13.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2014.

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