Thousands of indigenous people of Brazil have demonstrated in a protest march for more protection of their habitats and traditions. The Amazon in particular should be protected. But the deforestation continues rapidly.
Thousands of indigenous peoples of Brazil have demonstrated on the streets of the capital, Brasilia. During a march to the National Congress, they called for a change in current policies that threaten their traditional ways of life and habitats.
The march, which included indigenous leaders from more than 300 ethnic groups across Brazil, is part of the five-day annual Free Land Encampment event taking place April 24-28. It is the largest meeting of indigenous peoples from all over Brazil, tens of thousands of participants are expected.
The indigenous people demand the demarcation of indigenous territories, but in particular the protection of habitats within the Amazon. In particular, large mining companies and illegal deforestation repeatedly destroy original habitats in the extraction of raw materials, according to the accusation.
Colorful protest: the indigenous demonstrators appeared in traditional robes.
meeting at eye level
A leadership group in Congress was received by Indigenous MP Celia Xakriaba, elected last year. “I declare the opening of the Free Land Encampment in this house, where indigenous people are no longer greeted with pepper spray, but with an open door,” Xakriaba said.
This year there are particularly high hopes for the exchange between the indigenous people and the government. It is the first time in the country’s history that indigenous groups have their own ministry. In December 2022, President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced the proposed appointment of Guajajara tribal leader Sonia Guajajara as first minister of the newly created Ministry of Indigenous Peoples. She was sworn in on January 11, 2023.
Everything better under Lula?
After four years under the leadership of former President Jair Bolsonaro, Lula was seen as a hopeful antithesis to Brazil’s previous repressive environmental policy. In fact, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest increased rapidly in the first three months of 2023. From January to March, an area of 867 square kilometers was destroyed, as reported by the Institute for Humans and the Environment in the Amazon (Amazon) after evaluating satellite images. This is the second highest level of deforestation since 2008.
When he took office in January, Lula pledged to end illegal logging of the Amazon rainforest altogether. Even under Bolsonaro, the destruction of the rainforest had increased by more than 70 percent. During his tenure, Bolsonaro systematically weakened laws and controls to protect the rainforest and deprived the authorities of funding and staff. According to Amazon, the state of Amazonas is particularly affected, where illegal deforestation has increased ninefold compared to the same period last year.