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FIFA on Monday recognized Brazilians' right to peaceful protest but urged them to eschew violence as June's World Cup approaches.
"You can have pacific demonstrations, it's a right, it's a right in any democracy around the world," FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said during a visit to Brasilia.
"But a non-peaceful demonstration, people are just trying to create problems, people are just trying to fight against the authorities," said Valcke, adding it was for the police to keep order.
Brazil is braced for protests before and during the tournament, which kicks off on June 12 in Sao Paulo, with many citizens angry at the billions of dollars the event is costing.
Last year's dress rehearsal event, the Confederations Cup, saw more than a million people take to the streets nationwide to protest the cost of the World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics in a country where many basic public facilities are poor.

Although more recent protests have been on a smaller scale, many have ended in violence after becoming more radical with anarchist groups organizing them online.
On February 6, a march in Rio against a fresh round of transport fare hikes -- the issue which sparked last year's protests -- ended in tragedy with the death of a TV cameraman.
Santiago Andrade died after being struck in the head by a flare thrown by a protester.
"The cameraman was brutally killed," Minister for sport Aldo Rebelo reflected Monday.
In response to the ongoing protests and with radicals threatening more during the World Cup the Brazilian government is preparing legislation to deal with violent demonstrators.
Congress is also debating anti-terrorism draft legislation which would bring stiffer punishments for acts of vandalism causing damage to public property.

In the latest of a series of visits to Brazil, Valcke was visiting Brasilia's Mane Garrincha stadium, one of three to suffer fatal accidents during construction in recent months.
There have been three fatal accidents in Manaus in the northern Amazonia region and one in Sao Paulo, due to host the June 12 World Cup opener between Brazil and Croatia.
After six stadiums missed a FIFA deadline of December 31 for completion Sao Paulo is now scheduled to have pre-event tests in mid-April.
More pressingly, Valcke is to reveal Tuesday if the stadium at Curitiba, where construction has been lagging behind schedule, will be retained or dropped.

Transport links in the city are also not set to be completed until after the tournament.
Curitiba is slated to host four matches starting with the June 13 meeting of Chile and Australia.
Having begun his latest tour at the weekend in Manaus, where he praised the Arena Amazonia, Valcke was due Tuesday in the southern city of Porto Alegre before heading to Florianopolis for a FIFA pre-World Cup seminar for the 32 team coaches.

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