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Protesters demanding the resignation of Brazilian President Michel Temer staged running battles with police and set fire to a ministry building in Brasilia on Wednesday, prompting the scandal-hit leader to order the army onto the streets.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators had gathered peacefully at midday in the capital before marching down the grassy esplanade lined by federal ministries toward Congress, calling for Temer's ouster and an end to his austerity program.
'Most violent protest in years'
Police unleashed repeated volleys of tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets to halt protesters as they neared the Congressional building. Officers clubbed several demonstrators to block their path, according to Reuters witnesses.
Masked protesters responded by firing powerful fireworks at police, setting ablaze furniture in the lobby of the Agriculture Ministry and spraying anti-Temer graffiti on government buildings.
A local television station showed images of a police officer firing his handgun at demonstrators.
Large plumes of black smoke billowed high into the air in front of the modernistic Congress building after protesters set tires on fire.
It was the most violent protest in Brasilia since anti-government demonstrations convulsed Latin America's largest nation in 2013. By nightfall, protesters began to disperse.
One protester was shot and wounded, police said. Local media reported at least one other demonstrator was seriously injured by a rubber bullet to the face, while another lost part of his hand while trying to throw an explosive device at officers.
Army onto the capital's streets
Defense Minister Raul Jungmann announced on national TV that Temer had approved a decree allowing army troops to assist police in restoring order for the next week, giving soldiers policing powers and the right to make arrests.
The move of deploying the military was met with voices expressing concern.
"What are they going to do? Intervene and wage war against the people that are out there on the esplanade?" Senator Gleisi Hoffmann of Rousseff's Workers Party said on the Senate floor.
In the nearby chamber of the Supreme Court, just a few hundred meters from the demonstration, Justice Marco Aurelio Mello said he was "a little worried" about Temer's decree.
Senator Renan Calheiros, a strident critic of Temer from within his own Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), said the president had broken no constitutional rules by deploying the military.
"But it's bordering on foolishness to do so when the country is on fire. It's bordering on irresponsibility," said Calheiros, who is himself under investigation for graft.
Temer in hot water
Temer is struggling to retain power after the release of a recording that appears to capture him approving hush money for a convicted former lawmaker. Brazil’s top court is investigating him for alleged obstruction of justice and involvement in passive corruption, but the president is resisting calls to resign and has said he will fight the accusations.
Federal police asked Temer to submit to questioning, the president’s defense team said in a statement on Wednesday. His lawyers called the request inappropriate since the recording, which Temer says was doctored, is still being analyzed. They said he would give testimony to a supreme court justice or answer his questions in writing, but refused to be questioned by a federal police investigator.
Even before the latest scandal broke, Temer’s popularity was low, in part because of opposition to economic reforms he is trying to push through Congress. Several of his allies and aides have also been caught up in a wide-ranging corruption investigation that has jailed business leaders and senior politicians.
He lost yet another aide on Wednesday, when Sandro Mabel resigned. Mabel, who was one of the four special advisers who have been linked to corruption allegations and have resigned or been fired, published a letter saying he needs to spend more time with his family.
(CGTN)
