Brasilia, September 6 (RHC)-- Brazilian State security officials, working on behalf of the coup regime, unleashed a wave of repression against a 100,000 person strong demonstration in the city of Sao Paulo opposing the ouster of Dilma Rousseff.

In what was the largest rally since the consolidation of the coup last week, demonstrators called for Michel Temer to step down and for snap elections to be held.  The demonstration was reportedly peaceful until the Military Police attacked the crowd with teargas as people began to disperse and demonstrators headed for Metro entrances.

Police claim they were asked to intervene by transportation officials in order to stop vandalism and looting.  However, according to local media, officials with the ViaQuarto, the company in charge of running Line 4 of the Sao Paulo subway, denied there was any looting.

It was unclear if the police were actually called by ViaQuarto or whether the vandalism occurred before or after the police attacked the crowd.  A reporter for El Pais, who was inside the station when police arrived, said there was no sign of vandalism before police began to repress the crowd.

Police used teargas grenades against the boisterous but peaceful crowd inside the station, causing panic and disorder.  Several people inside the Metro station were said to have become sick as a result of exposure to the teargas.

The chaos then spread to the streets above, with police wantonly attacking anyone in their path. A journalist with BBC Brazil was attacked despite reportedly identifying himself as a member of the press.

In a video posted on social media, the journalist, identified as Felipe Souza, said he was covering a clash between police and demonstrators before he was physically assaulted by police. In the video, Souza says he received blows to his hands, legs and arms.  Souza added that he personally witnessed police use rubber bullets against the crowd and that the smell of teargas hung in the air long after the protest had been dispersed.