SAO PAULO, June 20 — Sporadic clashes between protesters and police marked the end of a 1,000-strong march today for free public transport in Sao Paulo.

The march passed off peacefully in the city, hosting England’s World Cup encounter with Uruguay, until a masked group of youths began throwing fireworks at police, who responded with teargas.

The group also vandalized four luxury vehicles at an auto dealer, set fire to trash and blocked a road for more than an hour, Brazilian online news portal G1 reported.

They also threw stones and smashed the windows of a bank.

Protests at rising transport fares also sparked mass demonstrations in Brazil last year, when more than a million people took to the streets during the Confederations Cup, a dress rehearsal for the World Cup.

Protests in recent months have been smaller, although some have ended in violence, with radical anarchist groups known as black blocs clashing with police.

“Hey FIFA, cut the fares,” some protesters shouted, while others held banners reading “yes to bread, no to circuses.”

“This is a demonstration to mark the one-year anniversary of our taking to the streets,” a protester from the Free Pass movement told AFP, asking not to be named.

“It’s also about the World Cup. This country puts Cup investments first rather than improve the lives of citizens,” she added.

Many Brazilians are frustrated their country is hosting the US$11 billion (RM35.3 million) World Cup despite sagging public services in areas such as health, transport and education. — AFP