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Thousands Protest Poverty in Brazil
By Stan Lehman Associated Press Writer Monday, September 7, 1998; 5:34 p.m. EDT
APARECIDA DO NORTE, Brazil (AP) -- Tens of thousands of Brazilians marched to demand relief from poverty and neglect on Monday, the country's Independence Day.
In dozens of cities, the fourth annual ``Cry of the Excluded'' rallies drew the landless and the jobless, peasants and squatters, politicians, clergy -- and even the occasional cellular-toting businessman.
The nationwide protest was organized by the Roman Catholic Church, labor unions and leftist political parties. Many candidates handed out campaign leaflets at the rallies.
Many protesters had set out more than a month ago in caravans from remote interior towns to reach state capitals by Monday.
Some 50,000 people gathered for a Mass and rally at the basilica of Our Revealed Lady, Brazil's patron saint, in Aparecida do Norte, 105 miles east of Sao Paulo.
Bishop Demetrio Valentini accused President Fernando Henrique Cardoso's government of not caring about the poor. ``The only people who are respected are those with money, leaving millions excluded,'' he said.
Demonstrators also protested in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, and Recife.
Cardoso, who is running for re-election in October, has tamed chronic high inflation and reduced the state's role in the economy. But one result has been higher unemployment.
Cardoso signed three proposals Monday that aimed to better defend ``the rights of the unprotected.''
One gives amnesty to some 100,000 illegal immigrants. A second creates 1.9 million acres of Indian reservations in five states, and a third grants land titles to the descendants of runaway slaves who settled in the eastern Amazon. The bills now go to Congress for approval.
C Copyright 1998 The Associated Press
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