Brazilian Protesters fight pitched battles with riot police as strike by 35million turns ugly

Violent clashes between public and police marred a national strike in Brazil that saw 35 million citizens stay away from work.

Millions stayed home on Friday, and thousands flooded the streets in anger against labour law and pension reforms, raising questions about whether President Michel Temer will be able to push his proposals through Congress.

Temer’s administration argues that more flexible labor rules will revive a moribund economy and warns the pension system will go bankrupt without changes.

Unions and other groups called for the strike, saying that the changes before Congress will make workers too vulnerable and strip away too many benefits.

In one the largest demonstrations Friday, thousands of protesters gathered in front Rio de Janeiro’s state assembly in the afternoon and were fighting pitched battles with police who tried to remove them.

Police fired tear gas while protesters threw stones and lit small fires in the middle of streets around the legislative building in downtown.

A few hundred more protesters massed on a major avenue in Sao Paulo, where police told downtown shopkeepers to close early, apparently out of concern that protesters might head there. Throughout the day, 21 people were arrested in Sao Paulo, according to military police.

Earlier in the day, most commuter trains and metro lines were stopped in Sao Paulo during the height of morning commute, and all buses stayed off the roads. Buses ran partial service during the morning in Rio de Janeiro but later began returning to normal. The metro was closed for the day in the capital of Brasilia.

Some protesters also set up barricades and started fires in the streets, including on roads heading to the main airports in Sao Paulo. In Rio, protesters created confusion by running through Santos Dumont Airport, and others blocked a major road.

READ MORE HERE: Brazilians clash with police during national strike | Daily Mail Online