Brazil protest groups call fresh demos

Black Bloc anarchists joined other protestors in more than a dozen Brazilian cities Tuesday to mark Guy Fawkes day, the anniversary of the failed 1605 Gunpowder Plot in London. Many here have donned Guy Fawkes masks in recent months as they took to the streets unhappy with corruption and political administration. In recent years, the Anonymous protest group has marked November 5 as a "day of global resistence to corruption and tyranny" and they and others used social media to urge action. "We want to change this corrupt system," said Eron Morales de Melo, a veteran protester dressed as Batman. We are paying high taxes and this doesn't get invested in education. We don't have good healthcare, public security is precarious, as is public transport." Police insisted he take off his face mask in compliance with recent legislation. Opinion polls show Brazilians support the hosting of the World Cup next June and the Rio Olympics in 2016 but are aghast at the cost and believe the money would be better spent on social infrastructure. "We love the World Cup, we love sports -- what we don't accept is a government which wants to look good by investing millions in the World Cup but forgets about health and public education," Melo said. Several hundred people brought traffic to a standstill in central Rio where marchers brandished banners reading "the only good corrupt (politician) is a dead one. Blood for blood. Anarchist Revolution." A small march of around 100 people in the business capital Sao Paulo took place under police supervision. Meanwhile, authorities said they have identified 130 people suspected of fanning violence in recent protests in Rio and Sao Paulo. The marches were not on the scale of the mass protests last June that accompanied the Confederations Cup World Cup dress rehearsal but ended in more violence.