One Million Brazilians Show Anger At Corruption

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Riot police have used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Brazil's capital after tens of thousands of people marched to demand President Dilma Rouseff's impeachment.

The clashes took place near government buildings in Brasilia where protesters gathered to criticise government corruption.

Over one million Brazilians protested peacefully in several other cities across the country on Sunday demanding Ms Rousseff steps down.

Much of their anger was focused on a scheme at state-run oil firm Petrobras, which prosecutors call the biggest corruption scandal ever uncovered in Brazil.

At least $800m was paid in bribes and other funds by the nation's biggest construction and engineering firms in exchange for inflated Petrobras contracts.

The biggest of the protests, held on the 30th anniversary of Brazil's return to democracy after a long military regime, took place in Sao Paulo, an opposition stronghold where some 210,000 gathered on a main avenue.

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Gallery: Anti-Corruption Protests In Brazil

Thousands of protesters dressed in the national colours of green and yellow for demonstrations against government corruption in major cities across the country

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There were huge crowds on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro

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A demonstrator holds a sign reading: "End of Corruption. More health."

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Thousands gathered in Sao Paulo

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Large rallies were also seen in the southern city of Porto Alegre and in Rio de Janeiro.

"We are here to express our indignation with the government-sponsored corruption and thieving, and to demand Dilma's impeachment," said Andre Menezes, 35, protesting on Avenida Paulista in Sao Paulo.

"She may have not been directly involved in the corruption at Petrobras, but she certainly knew about it, and for me that makes her just as guilty and justifies her ouster," he added.

In Rio, police estimated 15,000 people marched along the golden sands of Copacabana beach, where they waved Brazilian flags and many openly called for a military coup to dissolve the government.

"I don't want my country to turn into a Venezuela, we don't want an authoritarian government!" said Marlon Aymes, 35, helping carry a 20-foot long banner that read in English: "Army, Navy and Air Force. Please Save Us Once Again of Communism."

"We want the military to dissolve Congress and call new elections, because the level of corruption is too widespread to do anything else," Mr Aymes added.

Ms Rousseff did not appear in public on Sunday, but her Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo went on national TV to hold an extensive live press conference defending the government.

He emphasised that the president would soon propose a series of anti-corruption measures in Congress that were promised during her re-election campaign.

Ms Rousseff has said she fully supports peaceful demonstrations, even those demanding her impeachment, and Mr Cardozo added that the rallies "confirm that Brazil is a democratic state that allows for divergences, the existence of opposing opinions and that we're far from any coup option".

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