As the World Cup opens this week in Brazil, thousands of poor and homeless Sao Paulo residents have camped out less than 3 miles away from the World Cup stadium in a bid to pressure their government to provide affordable housing.
Around 3,000 families have reportedly joined the mass demonstration, pitching tent after tent of plastic, tarps, plywood and other light materials on an empty piece of land creating what is now known as the "People's Cup".
Protesters are angry over the government shelling out $11 billion on the World Cup, an event that many of the residents will not be able to afford, while both living and working conditions are not adequately addressed.
The World Cup is slated to begin June 12 and end on July 13, bringing together 32 nations to compete for the trophy.
Residents complain that rents in Sao Paolo have risen by double digits since the construction of the stadium begun, far outpacing the adjustment in minimum wage, which is $360 a month. A simple two-room apartment in the East Zone now costs around $300.
The government this week announced that it is drawing up plans to build subsidized housing on the land occupied by the protesters, and that details of the project will be made public this month.
The Roman Catholic Church in Brazil also joined the disapproval against the government and World Cup organizers, blaming the soccer tournament for the government's divided attention.
In a statement, Brazil's Bishops Conference was quoted as saying, "The Church wants to contribute to the public debate and express its concern with ... the inversion of priorities in the use of public money that should go to health, education, basic sanitation, transportation and security".
Hacktivist group Anonymous has also joined the protest in the virtual world. Dubbed as #OpHackingCup, Anonymous was reportedly hitting government websites, defacing some, and hacking into emails.
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