BELEM, Brazil (Reuters) -Dozens of Indigenous protesters blocked the front of the COP30 summit venue in Brazil on Friday morning, staging a sit-in that forced delegates to use a side entrance to resume their negotiations on tackling climate change.
Amid the peaceful protest, security was ramped up and there were long lines of delegates waiting to enter the sprawling compound, which is built on the site of an old airport in the Amazon city of Belem.
The protesters are demanding that the Brazilian government halt all development projects in the Amazon, including mining, logging, oil drilling and the building of a new railway for transporting mining and agricultural products.
On Tuesday, dozens of Indigenous protesters forced their way into the COP30 venue and clashed with security guards at the entrance. They later defended that action, saying they wanted to demonstrate the desperation of their fight for forest protection.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has highlighted Indigenous communities as key players in this year’s COP30 negotiations.
(Reporting by Adriano Machado, Valerie Volcovici and Katy Daigle; editing by William James)
