SAO PAULO, June 11 — The Homeless Workers’ Movement, a mainstay of the anti-World Cup demonstrations that have shaken Brazil in recent months, has reached a deal with authorities not to protest during the tournament.

The group said that in exchange for a promise not to take to the streets it had extracted key concessions from authorities, including a pledge to build houses on land the movement illegally occupied last month near the Sao Paulo stadium that will host tomorrow’s kick-off.

“The movement isn’t against the Cup. We don’t have the slightest intention of interfering. We won’t protest either against the Cup or during it,” spokeswoman Jussara Basso told AFP.

Authorities have also agreed to give the movement’s members priority access to a federal housing programme called “My House, My Life,” a government website confirmed.

The deal was worked out with local and state authorities in Sao Paulo and the federal government in Brasilia.

Thousands of movement families have set up a tent city in Sao Paulo just a few kilometres (miles) from Corinthians Arena, baptising their squatter camp the “People’s Cup.”

The movement had also been a key player in broader protests against the more than US$11 billion (RM35.28 billion) being spent on the World Cup, saying it should have been used to address pressing needs in housing, education, health and transport. — AFP