Rio de Janeiro, Oct 9 (IANS/EFE) The downtown area of this Brazilian metropolis awoke Tuesday to a trail of destruction from the vandalism that followed peaceful protests the night before.
Store windows were shattered and bank fronts damaged, while some businesses were sacked near the downtown Rio Branco Avenue where teachers had demonstrated demanding pay raises.
The facade of the Rio de Janeiro municipal assembly was covered with grafitti messages favouring the teachers' cause and asking for the resignation of several officebearers , notably Rio state Governor Sergio Cabral.
The teachers' protest, which brought together anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 people, remained peaceful until a small group of masked demonstrators resorted to vandalism.
During the clashes, which went on for more than three hours, the violent groups burned a bus and threw stones at least five more buses.