Brazilian protests surge again after bus fare victory From Marilia Brocchetto, Matthew Chance and Shasta Darlington, CNN  Rio de Janeiro (CNN) -- A massive crowd of demonstrators swelled around an iconic church in the heart of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, shouting "down with corruption" and "I can live without the World Cup." CNN affiliate Band News reported that police used tear gas in some areas of the city as clashes erupted. Police initially reported tens of thousands of protesters in Rio de Janeiro but later said the crowds had grown to more than 300,000 people. One death was reported in Sao Paulo state, where a young man was run over by an SUV at an intersection during a demonstration, state police said. Outside the Candelaria Church, organizers called for protesters to march peacefully as they listed a wide variety of demands directed at the South American country's government. In the nation's capital, a group of protesters on Thursday twice forced their way into the foreign ministry building. Police repelled both incursions, but not before protesters lit a fire inside the building, state media reported. Protesters say the poorest are being short-changed while the government spends the large bills on new stadiums and glitzy infrastructure for the soccer competition Brazil is hosting next year and the Olympic Games coming in 2016. They complain that corruption is driving up the costs. The government responds The country's investment in those projects includes money for health and public transportation, Deputy Sports Minister Luis Fernandes has said. "There is absolutely nothing contradictory between organizing a World Cup and investing in health and education," he said. An elite National Force, made up of specially trained firefighters and police officers, will deploy to states hosting the games, the Ministry of Justice said late Tuesday. The government has stressed that the force's mission is to mediate and not repress. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff told peaceful protesters Tuesday that their message was being heard. She praised them as active participants in democracy and said her government is committed to "social transformation." Police for the most part stood back, and the atmosphere grew festive and loud, with throngs singing and beating drums. Hidden in the peaceful multitudes were bands of rowdies who kicked down doors and broke windows, looted shops and tipped over cars and set them on fire. They left a trail of rubble down the protest routes. While asking police to back off from peaceful protesters, Rousseff has condemned "isolated and minor acts of violence," telling police to confront them "with vigor." In light of the protests, the Brazilian president has postponed a trip to Japan, the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency reported Thursday. Rousseff had been scheduled to travel to Japan on June 23-28, the government news agency reported, citing the president's communications secretary. A new date for the trip has not been announced, Agencia Brasil said. Weeks of protests For nearly two weeks, tens of thousands of Brazilians marched through the streets night after night. Crowds originally protesting bus fares grew into multitudes decrying social injustice on Tuesday, as broad avenues filled to capacity for blocks. The protests come amid the soccer Confederations Cup tournament, a friendly array of matches, in which the host country, Brazil, plays against a small group of national teams from around the globe. The cup serves as a precursor to the World Cup. The majority of marchers are young and well-educated. Matheus Pires, a university student and one of the organizers, says public transportation should be free -- especially in expensive, sprawling cities such as Sao Paulo. "You can't go to hospital; you can't see your friends; you can't go to school; you can't go to work," he said, describing how much the city's residents rely on mass transit. Lowering fares, he said, would prove that the government was listening. But it's too soon to know whether it will bring an end to protests or fuel further and more far-reaching demands.