Photo of Brazilian military officer pepper-spraying woman goes viral

A disturbing photo of a woman being sprayed in the face at close range with pepper spray by a military officer on Monday night has become an iconic image in the protests in Brazil.

The woman in the photo seems peaceful and does not appear to have provoked the officers, making the photo and the pained expression on her face all the more moving.

Photographer Victor Calvano said the woman was simply standing on a relatively calm street corner after a protest had been dispersed and was pepper-sprayed after refusing to leave, reports PolicyMic.

The protests, which began on Monday, were originally sparked by increases in bus fares and enflamed by high costs of hosting and staging the 2014 World Cup, public security and health, and political corruption.

Protests have erupted in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, São Paulo, and at least four other Brazil cities, according to the Washington Post. Activist hacker group Anonymous alleges that as many as twelve cities are actively protesting.

Though most demonstrations were peaceful, as demonstrated by the man pictured below playing his guitar in the middle of the street, some demonstrators in Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte clashed with police. The cities were also disturbed by looters, reports the Huffington Post.

More than 100,000 people gathered in Rio de Janeiro alone while the total amount of protesters in the streets across Brazil on Tuesday is estimated at 240,000.

The demonstrations in Brazil have contrasted those in Turkey, where Prime Minister Erdogan has responded harshly to protesters in the country’s major cities.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff actually approves of the protests. “My government is listening to the voices calling for change.”

Images: Twitter, Twitter, Twitter

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