Photo credit: Reuters
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.
The Telegraph Online reports that the protesters demanded access to the UN compound where thousands of delegates from countries around the world are attending this year’s UN climate summit in the Amazon city of Belem, Brazil.
Some waved flags with slogans calling for land rights or carried signs saying, “Our land is not for sale.”
Security guards pushed the protesters back and used tables to barricade the entrance. A Reuters witness saw one security guard being rushed away in a wheelchair while clutching his stomach.
Another guard with a fresh cut above his eye told Reuters 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 United Nations is responsible for security.
