Approximately 8,000 riot police, armed with rubber bullets and teargas, have been deployed in Rio de Janeiro to subdue protests.
Police in Brazil have increased their on-duty and standby manpower after a mostly peaceful march on Monday ended in fire and vandalism, according to the Guardian. Only 150 officers were on hand to manage the crowd of over 100,000.
Around 1,200 of the 8,000 riot police will remain in barracks unless demonstrations become violent.
“We hope it will not be necessary to call on this battalion,” said one spokesman. “Rubber bullets are a last resort.”
The protests began as small demonstrations against an increase in bus fares and grew from anger toward the high cost of staging and hosting the 2014 World Cup, inflation, and political corruption and a desire for better public services, according to Bloomberg.
Authorities reportedly revoked the 20-centavo (10 cent) bus fare increase on Wednesday after the backlash.
Facebook pages have been created for demonstrations in more than 100 Brazilin cities as protests spread quickly across the country. An event page for the Rio de Janeiro demonstration had 255,000 guests.
“It was never just about 20 cents,” the event page said, using a statement that has become somewhat iconic in the Brazil protests.
Beyoncé has been photographed in a shirt that says “It’s not about 20 cents!” British Skins actress and singers Katy Perry, Lady GaGa, and Avril Lavigne have all posted photos with signs in support of the movement.