In the late afternoon of June 19th, after the huge demonstrations which had been held in regional capitals and many other cities, the mayor of São Paulo announced, along with State Governor Geraldo Alckmin, that the price of bus and metro fares would be reversed back to 3 Reais. In Minas, the government is also looking into reducing fares, which were also reduced in Rio, and Recife, where the fares had been reduced even before the demonstrations took to the streets. Mayors from the interior of the country are announcing reductions, following on from São Paulo and Rio. This is a victory that affects the entire country.

More than 15,000 students and workers took to the streets of Joinville on Thursday (20/6). They chanted slogans and carried placards with messages of change. This kind of mobilization has not been seen since the Collor Out movement in 1992.

The below statement was written by our Brazilian comrades organised around the Marxist journal Esquerda Marxista.

Due to its interesting content we publish here an English translation of the statement of the Sao Paulo "Movement for Free Fares" regarding the attacks on left-wing organisations at the demonstrations on June 20.

The mayor of Sao Paulo, Haddad, has been forced to retreat on the question of bus fare increases along with the regional governor Alckmin and Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paz. In the wake of this move in the largest cities in the country, others will follow suit. Campinas and Niterói have also already announced the revocation of the fare increase. Very few mayors will be able to resist!