On assuming presidency on May 12, Temer lost no time in showing that he was there to dismantle the progressive policies of the past 14 years. He named a cabinet of 22 persons—all white men in suits. In a country where 52 per cent of the population are women and 53 per cent are of mixed race, it signalled that the old elite was again at the helm. In his first 60 days in office as only an interim head of state, Temer has announced policies to weaken labour regulations, reduce minimum wages, decrease salaries, and cut social programmes for access to higher education and reduction of poverty. “It is an all-out war on the working people. In the name of boosting economic growth, all the gains made by the poor are being rolled back,” says Nunes, who is busy mobilising people in his community to protest during the Games. “People are angry, as they are being pushed around as the world elite come here to party. They are going to protest at this injustice.” Brazil has splurged an astonishing $12 billion at the Games, making it the most expensive ever. Most of this money has gone into making state-of-the-art facilities or further sprucing up of posh neighbourhoods. On the other hand, during the preparation, more than 75,000 favela residents have been thrown out of their homes. In the name of making the city crime-free, around 2,500 people have been killed by the police since Rio won the right to host the Games. Years of injustice, coupled with the right-wing policies of the new government, might bring the country to a boil.