COP30: Clashes between emergency forces and indigenous demonstrators

Violent clashes broke out between a group of indigenous demonstrators and emergency services at the COP30 world climate conference in the Brazilian Amazonian city of Belem. Demonstrators protested and danced in front of the climate conference entrance before entering the site. Videos from South American media showed, among other things, how they violently broke open the door.

Emergency services pushed the demonstrators back and barricaded the entrance with tables. According to a UN spokesperson, two security personnel were injured in the incident.

The demonstrators were part of a large group of hundreds of indigenous people who had previously marched towards the venue. Some people waved flags that read: “Our country is not for sale.” Gilmar, an indigenous leader of the Tupinambá community near the Tapajós River in Brazil, said: “We don’t want farming, oil exploration, illegal mining and deforestation to happen on our land.”

At the summit, traditional leaders demanded a greater say in forest management. Before the conference took place, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva described indigenous peoples as important actors in the negotiations.