Rio Police Tear Gas and Pepper Spray Protesters on Olympic Torch Route

Police have been filmed using tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and stun grenades on protesters along the Olympic torch route, only two days before the start of the Games.

With the Rio Olympics already beset by problems – such as water pollution, unfinished infrastructure, soaring crime rates and the Zika virus – footage of police clashing with protesters represents another public setback ahead of the event. The clashes took place in a poor suburb of Duque de Caxias, just outside Rio de Janeiro itself.

According to local news outlets, the protesters were demonstrating over delays to the salaries of public sector workers in Rio state. Brazil is currently in economic and political crisis, with many government employees – including teachers, police officers and emergency service personnel – going unpaid for significant periods.

Watch protests mar Olympic torch relay in Rio de Janeiro #Rio2016https://t.co/CtCU5Wh0Ob
— Press Association (@PA) August 4, 2016

With the Olympic torch set to pass through Duque de Caxias, armed riot police forcibly cleared the area before the torch was hurried past. Footage shows people running and screaming in the face of tear gas, while others are hit with bursts of pepper spray.

Reports suggest that a number of arrests have been made. With problems ongoing, protests are likely to be a regular feature of the Games.