I Did Not Speak About the Flowers
Pra Não Dizer que Não Falei das Flores, (Just so You Won't Say that I Didn't Speak about the Flowers), by Geraldo Vandré, 1968, was a song that criticized the dictatorship and persuaded the Brazilian people to stand against the regime. The song became known as the “hymn of resistance against the dictatorship," and was one of several chants during the June 2013 demonstrations.
What began as protests rejecting a 20-cent increase in public transportation fares in Rio de Janeiro, and other major cities across Brazil, ended in the biggest social movement, since the dictatorship, against corruption and rising costs of the 2014 World Cup.
Politicians dropped the increased fare, however the issue grew to widespread frustration about the heavy tax burden, corrupt politicians, weak public education, health & transportation systems, and the forced evictions of favela communtiies, as the nation hosted the 2013 Confederations Cup soccer tournament and prepares for July's papal visit.
Nearly one-million Cariocas (residents of Rio) converged on the streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro. Many Brazilians who witnessed the violence during the dictatorship say the violence against the protestors by the military today is no different then the past.
