A protest by Brazilian truckers appeared to be all but over as of Thursday following imposition of stiff fines by the government. Highway police reported on Thursday morning only one highway blockage, in the farm state of Tocantins. Earlier in the week, police had reported dozens of highways blocked by angry truckers in as many as 14 of Brazil’s 27 states, including economically critical states such as São Paulo and Minas Gerais. At mid-week, the government announced fines of R$5,700 for truckers blocking highways and as high as R$19,000 for protest leaders. Truckers are demanding a minimum nationwide freight rate as well as a rollback in price hikes for diesel fuel. They are also demanding impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. The government declined to engage in any negotiations with protest leaders.
Link to Folha news agency article.
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