A week of unexpected and unprecedentedly widespread street protests that turned violent at times has left Brazilians both apprehensive and hopeful about their future. After days of what aides described as “perplexity”, President Dilma Rousseff tried to calm the nation on Friday with a televised address, promising to work with all parties, governors and mayors to improve public services and reform a discredited political system. She tried to embrace the protests while vowing to restore public order and prevent the repetition of vandalism and looting in various cities and attacks against public buildings that had shocked the country.
整整一個星期頻頻出現暴力行爲的大面積街頭抗議既出人意料又規模空前，令巴西人對未來感到惶恐而又有所期盼。在經歷了被助理們形容爲「困惑」的幾天後，巴西總統迪爾瑪•羅賽芙(Dilma Rousseff)上週五試圖通過電視講話安撫國民。她承諾要與所有黨派、州長以及市長共同努力，改善公共服務，改革失去信用的政治體制。她試圖一方面歡迎抗議，另一方面誓言恢復公共秩序，防止那些令全國震驚的行爲（包括在不同城市出現的破壞和搶劫，以及對公共建築的衝擊）重演。