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Indigenous protesters in Brazil climb onto Congress roof in defense of their land rights
Some 300 indigenous climbed yesterday a ramp onto the roof of Brazil's National Congress building (left image, picture by Agência Brasil) in protest against what they perceive as cuts to their rights to their ancestral lands. This is one of several actions that Brazil's aboriginals are staging for the whole week in Brasilia. One of the main demands by the protesters is the resumption of the definitive demarcation of indigenous lands.
In addition to the land demarcation, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB, Portuguese acronym), an organization bringing together hundreds of indigenous groups of this South American country, is calling for the repeal of the rules "that restrict indigenous rights," the "end of criminalization" of indigenous communities, and the implementation of health and education policies.
Land demarcation is important because according to Article 231 of the Constitution of Brazil, the indigenous are recognized the "permanent possession" and "exclusive usufruct of the riches of the soil, the rivers and the lakes" of those demarcated territories. The same article specifies that indigenous land rights never expire and are "inalienable". Indigenous movements consider that these constitutional rights (dating from 1988) have not been sufficiently implemented, and consider that the land demarcation is the only guarantee for their survival as a group.
The same article of the Constitution requires the federal government to demarcate indigenous lands. However, the text opens the door to an exception for the protection of demarcated lands: the Brazilian state can make use of water resources and can exploit mineral wealth there, provided that there exists express permission from the National Congress and a consultation process with indigenous communitites, who anyway are granted "a participation in the results of such mining."
Criticism against the holding of the World Cup
After the rooftop protest, the indigenous joined another demonstration, led by groups opposed to the holding of the World Cup in Brazil, which is set to start on June 12th. Protests against the tournament, which have mobilized more than one million people since 2013, are fueled by the popular perception that the government engages in organizing the World Cup while the cost of living goes up, corruption cases are known, and social policies are not allocated enough budget.
According to indigenous leader Neguinho Truká, the Brazilian government should be spending money "in health, education and housing," rather than organizing an event that "brings no benefits."
The demonstration ended with clashes between police and protesters. APIB blamed the police for a "violent and out of place" action against a "peaceful event" where demonstrators "peacefully marched" towards the Mané Garrincha National Stadium. APIB said six indigenous leaders were injured, and required that responsibilities for this fact were clarified.