Activists briefly clashed with security forces at the main venue of the United Nations climate talks in Belem, Brazil, on Tuesday, attempting to force their way inside before being pushed back. Two security personnel sustained minor injuries, the UN confirmed.
The confrontation occurred late in the day as delegates and participants were leaving the site of the COP30 summit.
“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,” the UN Climate Change Secretariat said in a statement.
“Brazilian and UN security personnel took immediate protective action in line with established security protocols. Authorities are investigating the incident, and the venue remains fully secured as negotiations continue,” the statement added.
Agustin Ocaña, a youth mobilization coordinator with the Global Youth Coalition, told The Associated Press he witnessed two groups — some wearing yellow shirts and others dressed in Indigenous attire — marching toward the conference site while chanting and dancing.
He said tensions rose when security closed the entrance doors and called in reinforcements. Some protesters began chanting, “They cannot decide for us without us,” highlighting frustrations among Indigenous participants who say their voices are being sidelined in the talks.
As the situation escalated, Ocaña said he saw both sides striking each other with small plastic bins near the security checkpoint. One guard was bleeding from a head wound, and several people appeared to have bruises.
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Ocaña said some Indigenous communities are angered by what they see as misplaced spending on infrastructure for the climate summit, while their own regions still lack basic education, health, and forest protection resources.
“They’re not violent people — they’re desperate to defend their land and rivers,” he said. “This is just a glimpse of what can happen if the world keeps holding endless talks about saving the planet while continuing to destroy it.”
Source: AP