Dozens of indigenous protesters forced their way into the Cop30 climate summit venue on Tuesday and clashed with security guards at the entrance to demand climate action and forest protection.
Shouting angrily, protesters demanded access to the United Nations (UN) compound where thousands of delegates from countries around the world are attending this year’s UN climate summit in the Amazon city of Belém, Brazil.
Some waved flags with slogans calling for land rights or carried signs saying: “Our land is not for sale.”
“We can’t eat money,” said Nato, an indigenous leader from the Tupinamba community, who uses only one name. “We want our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal miners and illegal loggers.”
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Security guards pushed the protesters back and used tables to barricade the entrance. One security guard was seen being rushed away in a wheelchair while clutching his stomach.
Another guard with a fresh cut above his eye said he had been hit in the head by a heavy drumstick thrown from the crowd. Security confiscated several long, heavy sticks.
The protesters dispersed shortly after the clash. They had been in a group of hundreds who marched to the venue.
Security guards later allowed delegates to exit the venue, having earlier asked them to move back inside until the area was clear. Within the compound, the UN is responsible for security.
“Earlier this evening, a group of protesters breached security barriers at the main entrance to the Cop, causing minor injuries to two security staff, and minor damage to the venue,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“Brazilian and UN security personnel took protective actions to secure the venue, following all established security protocols. Brazilian and UN authorities are investigating the incident. The venue is fully secured, and Cop negotiations continue.”
The main entrance to the venue had been closed for repairs and the UN climate agency said it will reopen on Wednesday morning.
Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has highlighted indigenous communities as key players in this year’s Cop30 negotiations.
[ Trump’s absence from Cop30 an ‘abomination’, says California governorOpens in new window ]
Meanwhile, California governor Gavin Newsom assured an audience at the climate summit that his state would continue to prioritise green technology, while blasting US president Donald Trump’s “dumb” decision to reverse the federal government’s course on climate action.
Mr Newsom, widely considered a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, also sounded alarm bells at the republican Trump’s policies, calling them threats to rule of law and democracy.
Making several appearances at the annual climate summit on Tuesday in the Amazonian city of Belem, Mr Newsom took every opportunity to slam Trump’s attacks on the fast-growing clean energy economy. He said Republicans were ceding the fast-growth market to China, which “will dominate in the next great global industry.”
“The United States of America is as dumb as we want to be on this topic, but the state of California is not. And so we are going to assert ourselves, we’re going to lean in, and we are going to compete in this space.” - Reuters
