[NBC News]
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
SAO PAULO — President Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday sought to defuse a massive protest movement sweeping Brazil, acknowledging the need for better public services and more responsive governance as demonstrations continued in some cities around the country.
Speaking the morning after more than 200,000 Brazilians marched in over a half-dozen cities, Rousseff said her government remains committed to social change and is listening attentively to the many grievances expressed at the demonstrations.
“Brazil woke up stronger today,” Rousseff said in a televised speech in Brasilia. “The size of yesterday’s demonstrations shows the energy of our democracy, the strength of the voice of the streets and the civility of our population.”
Monday’s demonstrations were the latest in a flurry of protests over the past two weeks that have fed on widespread frustration with poor public services, police violence and government corruption.