(MENAFN) Dozens of Indigenous activists armed with batons breached the security perimeter at the 30th United Nations climate change conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, leading to a confrontation with UN security staff, according to reports.

The incident occurred late Tuesday as international delegates were departing Parque da Cidade. Protesters demanded stronger protections for land rights, economic justice, and an end to fossil fuel expansion. They carried flags and signs reading, “Our land is not for sale” and “We can't eat money…We want our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal miners and illegal loggers.”

The group also called for taxing billionaires for their role in intensifying climate change. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was directly criticized with chants targeting oil exploration at the Amazon River’s mouth. “Lula government, shame on you, you are destroying the climate with this drilling,” the protesters shouted.

UN security personnel eventually removed the demonstrators, though a brief skirmish occurred near the entrance, during which guards used tables to barricade the area. Reports indicate that at least two security staff were injured—one suffered a forehead cut after being struck by a drum or drumstick, and another was hit on the head. Security also confiscated several batons carried by the protesters.

The Amazon region, where Belem is located, faces some of the most severe health impacts of climate change. In 2024, it experienced a historic drought, worsened by multiple wildfires.

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