Brazil is in danger of losing its Live Earth concert this Saturday, after local authorities obtained a court injunction suspending the show over security concerns.
Rio de Janeiro's famed Copacabana Beach had been scheduled to host the only free Live Earth concert on Saturday, joining other official shows in cities like London, Shanghai and Johannesburg.
Lenny Kravitz, Macy Gray and Jorge Ben Jor are among the performers slated for the Copacabana show, which organizers had expected to attract about one million concertgoers.
The Rio state prosecutor's office announced on Wednesday that it had obtained the injunction suspending the climate change awareness concert, according to reports from Reuters and in local media.
The main reason given was that there is not enough police personnel to serve as security at the event.
According to authorities, the city's security efforts are concentrated on the upcoming Pan American Games, which begin in Rio July 13. In recent weeks, the police have conducted raids and made multiple arrests around the Brazilian city, which has a reputation for high crime rates.
More than 5,000 athletes are expected in Rio to participate in the Games, with an estimated 800,000 tourists expected to descend on the city for the athletic showcase in the coming days.
However, the injunction against the Live Earth concert can still be appealed to a higher court.
The Live Earth concerts, spearheaded by environmental activist Al Gore and Live 8 organizer Kevin Wall, has already been forced to cancel one of its other concerts. The Istanbul concert was dropped last month due to lack of funding. Instead, organizers will erect large screens broadcasting the other official events around the world.
The globe-spanning concert series will get started in Sydney, Australia and Tokyo on Saturday, before moving west to Shanghai, Johannesburg, Hamburg, London and East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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