Protests add an edge to opening of Brazil's carnival season
- 10 years ago
It is carnival season again in Brazil, with the festivities kicking off today. But an eve-of-party party on Thursday night saw twin protests.
Carnival’s anything goes atmosphere includes dress codes, with scantily-clad men and women an annual highlight of the parade, providing endless eye candy for tourists.
So why is sunbathing topless on the Copacabana banned the rest of the year? For a small group of women an all-over tan is worth protesting about.
“I think it’s hypocrisy. I’m doing this so I can go topless at the beach. Why are we allowed to do this at the carnival but not on the beach – what’s the difference?” said protest leader Ana Paula Nogueira.
Just around the corner from their street party another group of demonstrators, calling themselves Occupy Carnival, were celebrating the imminent departure of Rio de Janeiro’s unpopular governor.
He has been under fire since the June 2013 anti-government demonstrations and resigns in April so he can run in the October elections.
Carnival’s anything goes atmosphere includes dress codes, with scantily-clad men and women an annual highlight of the parade, providing endless eye candy for tourists.
So why is sunbathing topless on the Copacabana banned the rest of the year? For a small group of women an all-over tan is worth protesting about.
“I think it’s hypocrisy. I’m doing this so I can go topless at the beach. Why are we allowed to do this at the carnival but not on the beach – what’s the difference?” said protest leader Ana Paula Nogueira.
Just around the corner from their street party another group of demonstrators, calling themselves Occupy Carnival, were celebrating the imminent departure of Rio de Janeiro’s unpopular governor.
He has been under fire since the June 2013 anti-government demonstrations and resigns in April so he can run in the October elections.