Yesterday Brazil stopped. Yes, it really stopped. No one went to school, no one went to work. General Strike. The act was in protest of the measures taken by the Brazilian President Michel Temer regarding reforms in labor laws and reforms / changes in the laws that grant workers retirement. The trade unions that here in Brazil are thousands, soon rebelled and called on all workers to protest against the measures they consider a "threat to the rights acquired by the workers." A protest that gathered mostly sympathizers and adherents of political parties with socialist ideology, who are the main opponents of the government Michel Temer.

Where are the people?

It was a very complicated day yesterday. The day began with several barriers made by protesters on big avenues of the city with burned tires. The public transport did not work, neither bus nor subway worked and so that I could move to the protest sites I had to take advantage of an earlier time that was still available the subway to be able to reach the center of the city where the biggest protest would occur here in Recife in adherence to this manifesto of General Strike. Having managed to get to the city, the scene was of an empty city, with no one on the streets, the shops closed in full Friday, a week day.

On the umbrella: Get out Temer!

I drove to Derby Square, where the protest was concentrated, and as time went by, the square was filled with people who had come to protest. I could count on 200,000 people who protested in Recife against President Michel Temer's measures of work. It was a political act that brought together workers, university students, entire families and people dissatisfied by the course that Brazil has taken in the last 4 years, sunk in an economic crisis that we will not soon overcome. Not to mention the many of corruption involving politicians from all sides who also "haunts" and cause revolt in the people.

My photographic coverage I finished at around 5:00 PM. The protest was quiet to work and very beautiful at the same time but with the night coming, some groups of "Black Blocks" that are masked people who infiltrate the protests to cause disorder and terror in the city, setting fire and destroying banks, shops and etc and as a result the police reacts by throwing rubber bullets to suppress these acts and that is where the chaos is installed. Foreseeing me to suffer any kind of violence, I decided to finish my work before that happened and I returned home.

---

It was certainly a historic day for my country and I am sure that because of the seriousness of the situations we are going through here in Brazil, I believe that this was not the last act of protest and I will be aware of the movements that may come after that and for sure I will share with you my lived experience, my story and through my photos tell this story.

---

Thanks for reading my post!

Obrigado por ter lido o meu post!

---

All photos are signed in ©, are my own and taken with my camera Sony Alpha ILCE 3500.

---