Police fired stun grenades and tear gas in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre on Wednesday to disperse protesters demonstrating against the World Cup, Reuters reported.
The 150 protesters, who marched in the city centre as the World Cup match between Australia and the Netherlands kicked off, were met by a force of several hundred police, Reuters witnesses said.
At least two protesters and three journalists were hurt after police fired tear gas and stun grenades at them, according to Reuters.
After the initial confrontation, the protesters changed course and marched through nearby streets until they finally dispersed, Reuters reported.
Protesters also chanted at the police: "You are working for FIFA, you are not Brazilian," according to Reuters.
Protests by Brazilians angry about alleged wasteful spending for the World Cup have broken out in several cities and some have turned violent, but most have attracted only a few hundred people and they appear to be shrinking by the day, Reuters reported.
Though the protesters seem to be maintaining speed, anti-World Cup protests have never reached the size of the widespread demonstrations that rattled Brazil a year ago, when up to a million Brazilians at a time took to the streets to protest issues ranging from corruption to police violence, according to Reuters.
While many Brazilians believe the $11 billion spent to build stadiums in 12 host cities could have been better spent, most have resolved not to cause disruption as their country welcomes some 800,000 foreign visitors for the month-long event, Reuters reported.
