Tussles broke out between protestors and security at the COP30 climate conference venue in Brazil’s Belem on Tuesday, leading to grabbing, shoving, and pushing.
The skirmish between the group of activists and security guards at the United Nations climate talks led to two security workers suffering minor injuries and a door being pushed off its hinges, the UN said.
“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,” UN Climate Change said in a statement.
The confrontation came late in the day as people were filtering out of the venue for COP30, as the talks are known, and several dozen men and women, some in brightly-coloured feather headdress, ran through the entrance and zipped past the metal detectors, entering the ‘Blue Zone’.
They were seen carrying banners that read, “Our forests are not for sale”, while some wore t-shirts that read, “Juntos” (meaning ‘together’).
“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 statement further read.
Also Read: COP-30 Summit kicks off in Brazil
Agustin Ocaña, mobilisation coordinator for youth with the Global Youth Coalition, told the press he was outside when he saw two groups of people, some with yellow shirts and some in the garb of Indigenous communities, walking toward the venue.
He said at first they were mostly just dancing and chanting, and he decided to follow because he has some friends in the Indigenous group, but soon enough, a group broke through security.
Things escalated when security guards reacted by closing the doors forcefully and calling more guards, leading to chants of “They cannot decide for us without us” getting louder.
As security and marchers clashed, Ocaña said he saw members of both sides hitting each other with small plastic bins used to hold items near secure entrances.
One guard was bleeding from being hit in the head and he said he saw two or three people with bruises, he said.
Ocaña said some Indigenous communities have been frustrated watching resources pour into building “a whole new city” when there are so many needs for education, health and protection of forests elsewhere.
“They were not doing this because they were bad people. They’re desperate trying to protect their land, the river,” Ocaña said, adding, “It’s important the world knows this is just a small piece of what can happen if we keep having these never-ending conversations about how we’re going to protect the planet while we keep destroying it.”
Tensions over participation of Indigenous people in the conference have prevailed for some time now.
Follow us
