‘Our land is not for sale’: Indigenous people protest at COP30 in Brazil

Indigenous protesters person stormed the COP30 clime acme venue successful Belem, Brazil, confronting information guards arsenic they demanded clime enactment and wood protection.

The demonstrators connected Tuesday tried to participate the United Nations compound, wherever thousands of planetary delegates are gathered for the clime talks. Many carried flags advocating for onshore rights and signs declaring, “Our onshore is not for sale.”

“We can’t devour money,” said Nato, an Indigenous person from the Tupinamba community, who uses lone 1 name. “We privation our lands escaped from agribusiness, lipid exploration, amerciable miners and amerciable loggers.”

Security unit pushed backmost against the protesters, barricading the entranceway with tables. A witnesser reported that 1 defender was evacuated successful a wheelchair portion holding his stomach. A information defender told the Reuters quality bureau helium suffered a chopped supra his oculus aft being struck with a dense drumstick thrown from the crowd. Security confiscated respective weighty sticks from the protesters.

The confrontation ended erstwhile the protesters, who had been portion of a larger march of hundreds of radical to the venue, dispersed. Security aboriginal allowed delegates to exit aft initially instructing them to stay wrong until the country was secured.

“Earlier this evening, a radical of protesters breached information barriers astatine the main entranceway to the COP, causing insignificant injuries to 2 information unit and insignificant harm to the venue,” a spokesperson said successful a statement.

“Brazilian and United Nations information unit took protective actions to unafraid the venue, pursuing each established information protocols. Brazilian and United Nations authorities are investigating the incident. The venue is afloat secured, and COP negotiations continue.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has emphasised the value of Indigenous communities successful this year’s COP30 negotiations. Earlier successful the week, dozens of Indigenous leaders arrived by vessel to enactment successful the talks and advocator for greater engagement successful wood management.

In an interrogation connected Tuesday, respected Indigenous person Raoni Metuktire, besides known arsenic Chief Raoni, told Reuters that galore Indigenous communities are frustrated with ongoing concern and improvement projects successful the forest. He called connected Brazil to empower autochthonal peoples successful Amazon preservation efforts.