More than a million Brazilians took to the streets of at least 80 Brazilian towns and cities in demonstrations that saw violent clashes and renewed calls for an end to government corruption and demands for better public services.

Riot police battled protesters in at least five cities, with some of the most intense clashes in Rio de Janeiro, where an estimated 300,000 demonstrators swarmed into the city's central area. 

An 18-year-old man was killed in Sao Paulo after a car drove through barricades, while television images showed police firing tear gas canisters and rubber bullets into crowds of young men, their faces wrapped in T-shirts.

The scenes prompted president Dilma Rousseff to end her near-silence on the unrest sweeping the country by declaring that 'the voice of the street must be heard and respected'. 

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Revolution: A football shirt-clad protester waves the Brazilian flag through clouds of smoke and teargas during violent clashes between protesters and police in Rio de Janeiro

Violent scenes: Policemen from the special Choque unit carry an injured colleague during a protest in Rio de Janeiro of what is now called the 'Tropical Spring' against corruption and bus far price hikes

A protester lies wounded after being shot by police with a rubber bullet along the Presidente Vargas avenue in Rio. Right, one holds a poster reading 'Silveira, do not yet shoot. I guess that one on the left is your son'

Unarmed: Brazilian protesters walk with raised arms as riot police look during Rio's mass protests last night

Solidarity: A taxi driver waves from a flyover to show support for several hundred thousand protesters in Rio

Rouseff delivered an address on primetime TV, which saw her pledge to improve public services and hold a dialogue with protest leaders.

She said peaceful demonstrations were part of a strong democracy, but that violence could not be tolerated.

'I'm going to meet with the leaders of the peaceful protests, I want institutions that are more transparent, more resistant to wrongdoing,' Rouseff said in referecence to perceptions of deep corruption in Brazilian politics, which is emerging as a focal point of the protests.

'It's citizenship and not economic power that must be heard first,' she said.

Flag-waving: A woman waves the Brazilian flag in Fortaleza amid anger over government corruption, high taxes, poor public services, and the billions being spent on the World Cup tournament

United in protest: Crowds of Brazilians hold up signs in Fortaleza as thousands of demonstrators poured onto the streets across the country

Corruption: Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff ended days of near-silence on the protests to deliver an address on prime time television yesterday

'The voice of the street must be heard and respected': The leader pledged to improve public services and to hold a dialogue with protest leaders

Talks: Although the President vowed to hold talks with protest leaders, it remained unclear who could represent the massive and decentralised groups of demonstrators

But it remained unclear exactly who could represent the massive and decentralised groups of demonstrators taking to the streets to vent their anger at woeful public services in spite of high taxes.

The President has called off a scheduled visit to Japan to deal with the crisis.

Though offering no details, Rousseff said that her government would create a national plan for public transportation in cities - a hike in bus and subway fares in many cities was the original catalyst for the protests. 

She also reiterated her backing for a plan before congress to invest all oil revenue royalties in education and a promise she made earlier to bring in foreign doctors to areas that lack physicians.

Passion: Demonstrators on their knees wave Brazilian flags in Fortaleza as they voice their anger at the country's government

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