Brazil promises secure World Cup

Rio de Janeiro, April 17 (IANS) The Brazilian government will ensure security in the FIFA World Cup which will take place in 12 Brazilian cities in June, President Dilma Rousseff said.

According to the president, the government has beefed up security for the World Cup and will not allow the tournament to be disturbed by violent episodes, reports Xinhua.

"We have improved our security tremendously. The armed forces will participate, we will use the Federal Police and the Federal Highway Police and we have partnerships with all state governors," Rousseff said Wednesday, underlining the security measures in a meeting of the Council for Economic and Social Development, in Brasilia.

Rousseff said "the federal government will not agree with any kind of violence and we will not let the World Cup be contaminated" and added that "it is an important moment for the country".

Last year, millions of Brazilians went on the streets in June to protest against poor public services, such as health care and education, corruption in politics, and high expenses for the World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, which will take place in Rio.

The protests occurred during the FIFA Confederations Cup, and many of them took place in the vicinity of the stadiums, on game days. Most protests featured conflicts between protestors and the police — officers were often accused of abuse and excessive violence in their actions.