Security forces were injuredIndigenous activists storm climate summit
Indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest want their voices to be heard at the UN climate conference COP30: hundreds of people protest in front of the event site. Then the situation escalated.
Violent clashes occurred at the COP30 world climate conference in Brazil: dozens of indigenous activists stormed a secured tent city in the Amazonian city of Belem. There were clashes with security forces.
A security guard was taken away in a wheelchair. Another security guard told reporters he was hit in the head with a drumstick. Security forces pushed back the demonstrators and blocked off the entrance with tables and chairs. The UN is responsible for security inside the venue, and local authorities outside the venue.
Demonstrators fiercely demanded access to the UN complex where thousands of delegates from around the world were meeting. They were part of hundreds of people who had previously marched to the location to protest outside the entrance area. Shortly after the clash, the group disbanded. Conference participants were asked to remain inside the building until the situation was clear. The delegates can then leave the venue again.
Indigenous leaders want to demand more say in forest management at the summit. Before the conference took place, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva described indigenous peoples as important actors in the negotiations. Their representatives still complain that their voices are not being heard. Prominent leader Raoni Metuktire said in an interview that many indigenous communities are angry about ongoing industrial and development projects in the rainforest. He called on the government in Brasilia to give indigenous people more rights to protect the Amazon.
