Overview
The Salad Revolution (Revolta Da Salada) refers to a series of ongoing social protests that erupted across Brazil in mid-June 2013. The demonstrations initially began in São Paulo in response to a hike in public transportation fares, but quickly spread across other cities to address other socioeconomic issues, including police brutality, corruption and government spendings in preparation for the 2014 World Cup. On the web, the protests soon became dubbed the “Salad Revolution” after a Brazilian journalist was arrested for carrying vinegar in his backpack to fight the effects of tear gas.
Background
In January 2013, São Paulo’s mayor Fernando Haddad announced that public bus and subway fare will be increased from R$ 3.00 to R$ 3.20. A few days after the policy went into effect on June 1st, the first major protest against the fare hike was organized on June 6th along Paulista Avenue, where the demonstrators clashed with the military police and left many shops vandalized. In the following week, the public demonstrations across the city continued to grow in size and intensity, which culminated in another major violent clash on June 13th that left several protesters and journalists arrested or injured from rubber bullets.
Notable Developments
Piero Locatelli’s Arrest
Among those arrested at the scene on June 6th were Piero Locatelli, a Brazilian journalist who recorded a video of himself being questioned and detained by a police officer for carrying a bottle of vinegar, which is said to reduce the undesirable effects of tear gas. The footage was subsequently uploaded to YouTube, gaining more than 464,000 views in less than a week.
Piero Locatelli’s arrest instantly sparked outrage against police brutality on Twitter and elsewhere on the web, spawning several vinegar-themed hashtags like #VdeVinagre, #VforVinegar and #pimentavsvinagre in support of the journalist and the Free Fare Movement at large. As the protests began spreading to other cities across the country, the broader social movement soon became dubbed #RevoltaDaSalada (“The Salad Revolution”) by the Brazilian Twitter users and journalists alike.
June 17th: Rio de Janeiro Protests
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Search Interest
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External References
[1]G1 – Protesters prey subway station, bank and shopping in Paulista
[2]Wikipedia – 2013 Brazilian Protests
[3]Carta Capital – Repórter de CartaCapital é detido por portar vinagre
[4]Twitter – Tweet Results for #RevoltaDaSalada
[5]Twitter – Tweet Results for #RevoltaDoVinegra
[6]Twitter – Tweet Results for #VdeVinagre
[7]Twitter – Tweet Results for #ChangeBrazil
[8]Tumblr – Salad Uprising
[9]Facebook – Quinto grande ato contra o aumento das passagens!
[10]ABC News – Violent Protests Over Bus Fare Hike Spread Across Brazil
[11]ABC News – 5 Reasons Why Brazil Is Protesting
[12]Galileu – As the vinegar became the symbol of ‘Revolt Salad’