Embattled Brazilian president orders troops to restore order
Source: Associated Press
Eraldo Peres and Mauricio Savarese, Associated Press
Updated 4:17 pm, Wednesday, May 24, 2017
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil's president ordered federal troops to restore order in the country's capital Wednesday after some ministries were evacuated during clashes between police and protesters who are seeking the leader's ouster.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched to Congress to protest economic reforms that President Michel Temer is pushing through and to demand he step down amid a corruption scandal. What began as small scuffles between police and protesters who tried to jump a cordon mushroomed into a series of clashes in which officers fired tear gas and pepper spray to contain the crowd. Protesters set fires and used portable toilets to create barricades.
As the clashes grew, some government agencies were evacuated, the president's office said. The G1 news portal reported that protesters set a fire in the Agriculture Ministry.
In a brief national address during the unrest, Defense Minister Raul Jungmann said troops were being sent to guard federal buildings, including the presidential palace. The deployment was authorized by a presidential decree that left open the possibility that soldiers could be used more widely in Brasilia. The decree said Jungmann would decide the scope.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Brazil-s-Temer-loses-another-aide-as-pressure-11170578.php
