Munduruku Indigenous Protest Blocks COP30 Blue Zone Entry as Demonstrators Demand Stronger Amazon Land Protections
Some 100 people from the Munduruku Indigenous group in Brazil, held a protest on Friday (November 14), at COP30 in Belém, blocking the main entry gate to the Blue Zone – where only negotiators are allowed – of the ongoing U.N. climate talks.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) November 16: Some 100 Indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon from the Munduruku had protested peacefully at dawn on Friday, blocking an access gate to a negotiation area at COP30 in Belém known as the Blue Zone, exclusive to the participants.
Based in the Amazon states of Amazonas, Mato Grosso and Pará, the Munduruku are calling for an end to projects and activities that threaten Indigenous land across the Amazon region, with a spotlight on regions along Brazil’s Tapajós and Xingu River basins.
COP30 Leadership Calls Indigenous Protests “Legitimate and Democratic”
Ana Toni, executive director of COP30 says the demonstrations are “legitimate,” and adds that government is responding. Protesters were ordered to meet with the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sônia Guajajara, and the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva.
“Brazil has a strong democracy that allows for different forms of protest, both inside and outside the conference,” she said.
Ana Toni also emphasized that to hold COP30 in the Amazon allows for a greater participation of Indigenous peoples, which would have been smaller had the venue been Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo or Brasília. It is clear that the protesters' voices are being heard, and we know there will be more demonstrations in COP30, she said.
Saturday’s March Unites Indigenous Groups and Global Climate Activists
Saturday’s march, which took place as a celebration where a giant beach ball symbolising the Earth and a Brazilian flag bearing the words “Protected Amazon” were hoisted into the air by attendees, saw indigenous community members join forces with activists.
The presence of indigenous voices at the talks has been controversial and some protesters have erected stalls outside the high-security, fenced-in COP30 venue to sell goods to passing delegates.
The meeting was billed as the “indigenous people’s COP”, but much of the indigenous community feel their concerns about deforestation, land protection and resource extraction at home are not being listened to.
Security Tightens After Protesters Breach Lines at High-Security Venue
It is the first time since 2021 that protests have been allowed at the UN climate talks. The remaining three were held in countries where public protest is not allowed. Thousands of indigenous people, Brazilian youth groups and activists from around the globe have taken part in the march.
The Amazon is home to hundreds of indigenous groups and they are considered by experts the most effective protectors of biodiversity and forests. There have also been smaller sister demonstrations across the globe.
As at all COP30 venue, security was tight with police in riot shields lining the entrance.On Tuesday, demonstrators holding signs cut through security lines at the summit. The incident resulted in minor injuries to two security officers and some damage to the establishment.
