World Cup visitors will be safe, vows Brazil
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BRASoLIA (AFP) - Brazil vowed Wednesday that World Cup tourists would be safe despite a wave of recent protests, as it rushed to finish preparations in what FIFA called a "race against the clock."
With 15 days to go to the year's biggest sporting event, the government brushed off the protests over spending on the tournament -- including one Tuesday by indigenous leaders in the capital who opened fire on police with bows and arrows, impaling one officer's leg.
"That shows the police are present to guarantee the rule of law, the freedom to protest, and to prevent abuses," said Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo, quoted by news website G1.
The fact the police contained the protest means that "foreigners should feel safe here," he said.
