Dozens of Indigenous protesters forced their way into the COP30 climate summit venue in Belem, Brazil, on Tuesday, clashing with security guards as they demanded stronger action to protect the Amazon rainforest and Indigenous lands.
The protesters, part of a larger group of hundreds who marched to the summit site, shouted slogans and carried banners reading “Our land is not for sale” while waving flags calling for land rights and environmental protection.
“We can’t eat money,” said Gilmar, an Indigenous leader from the Tupinamba community near the Tapajos River, as he denounced agribusiness expansion, oil exploration, and illegal mining and logging. “We want our lands free from exploitation.”
Security guards at the entrance tried to hold back the demonstrators, using tables to barricade the area. A Reuters witness reported that one guard was injured and taken away in a wheelchair clutching his stomach, while another suffered a cut to the head from a heavy drumstick thrown by a protester.
Several long wooden sticks were later confiscated.
In a statement, a COP30 spokesperson confirmed that two security staff sustained minor injuries and the venue suffered limited damage. “Brazilian and U.N. security personnel took protective actions to secure the venue, following all established protocols.
The venue is fully secured, and COP negotiations continue,” the spokesperson said.
Delegates were temporarily asked to remain inside the compound while security forces cleared the area. The United Nations, which manages internal venue security, is coordinating with Brazilian authorities to investigate the incident.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has made Indigenous rights and Amazon preservation central to this year’s summit, has repeatedly emphasized the importance of native communities in global climate action.
Earlier this week, dozens of Indigenous leaders arrived by boat to take part in the talks and press for greater influence over forest governance.
Prominent Indigenous leader Chief Raoni Metuktire told Reuters in a separate interview that frustration among native groups is growing. “Our people are tired of promises,” he said. “We want real commitment from governments to protect the forest and our future.”
Despite the unrest, COP30 negotiations resumed later in the evening as delegates continued discussions on forest conservation, carbon markets, and financing for climate resilience in the world’s largest rainforest.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
