Those on the pink route, ultimately the most successful one in approaching the Congress Center, parade with Samba in carnival-style. The blue group will likely encounter the police first and is generally considered the route to take for those willing to risk arrest. As the march begins, people stand on top of bus shelters, occasionally snapping pictures for those who pass their cameras up to them. When they use their balloons to try and push past police lines, they pop them one at a time, causing onlookers to chuckle. At the yellow march, I make my way to the front to take pictures.
Many police officers are in attendance.
Three stand on top of a tank. One of them wears a gas mask, one is filming the action with a video camera. Each time the demonstrators make a push forward, the police open fire with short bursts of pepper spray. I hear people around me begin to cough, and then I start to cough myself. It feels like plaster dust is suddenly filling my lungs.