Indigenous protesters at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, clashed with security forces as they attempted to storm the venue.
They demanded climate justice and condemning the Lulla government's environmental policies.
The protest, marked by anti-government slogans and traditional attire, highlighted issues like oil exploration and land grabbing.
On the second day of the 30th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 30), a major protest erupted as hundreds of protesters from indigenous communities marched to the venue and tried to enter the Hangar Convention Centre in Belem, Brazil. During the time of the protest, Brazil's Minister of Cities was addressing the media about the country’s climate action plan at the venue.
Most of the protesters were from local communities across the Amazon region and donned traditional Indigenous attire and headgear.
The rally saw people shouting slogans against Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government and the rich fossil fuel-centric businesses: "Lula government, shame on you, you are destroying the climate with this drilling."
They carried flags and signs with messages, such as "Our land is not for sale" and “We can’t eat money…We want our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal mining and logging”.
The protesters targeted issues such as increased oil exploration, logging, mining and land grabbing, with a section also waving the Palestine flag to raise their voice against the ongoing atrocities by Israel.
They also called for a tax on billionaires for their role in the climate crisis.
The protesters came from regions that are experiencing some of the most severe health impacts of climate change. The Amazon, specifically, saw historic droughts and multiple fires in 2024, they stated.
While protests near and even within the COP venues are common, a demonstration of such intensity with participants trying to barge through the gate, as delegates and country officials are stuck inside, is unprecedented.
Security forces were found blocking the entrance, pushing back demonstrators waving yellow flags but UN security personnel adopted a more aggressive stance as the protest became stronger.
The demonstrators were finally stopped by the UN police and two police officers were reported to be injured in the process.
The COP administration had not released an official statement on the protest till the morning of November 12, 2025 and the entry to the venue has been shut till morning 7 am (Belem time, 3.30 pm IST) following the protest by Indigenous communities from the Amazon region who were demanding climate justice.
Both Brazilian and UN security teams enacted protective measures consistent with established protocols to secure the venue. Investigations into the incident are underway, and officials confirmed that the venue is secure, allowing COP negotiations to proceed.
“When your lands are stolen, your water polluted and your communities poisoned by fossil fuel extraction, decades of diplomatic failure look like a betrayal,” said Harjeet Singh, climate activist and founding director of Satat Sampada Climate Foundation.
“The anger of Indigenous peoples, who have been displaced and disenfranchised, while this process ignores the root cause, is justified. They entered that building to deliver the one message these negotiations have failed to: 'This process is not helping. Enough is enough'.”