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Thousands of indigenous people in Brazil have been demonstrating at an annual protest camp in the capital Brasilia. They say new legislation threatens their way of life, their ancestral lands, and their very existence.

Brasília

### Brazil’s Indigenous People Rally Against Controversial New Law

**Brasília, Brazil** — In a significant demonstration in Brasília, the capital of Brazil, thousands of indigenous people have congregated for an annual protest camp. Their collective outcry is against new legislation that they argue severely threatens their ancestral way of life, their lands, and their existence. This event draws attention to their plight and voices opposition to what is seen as a historic setback to indigenous rights. 

Participants include around 200 indigenous groups, totaling approximately 8,000 individuals who have endured long journeys from remote areas to make their grievances known. The focus of their protest is the controversial "Time Marker Law", which activists and indigenous communities vehemently oppose. The law stipulates that indigenous peoples must prove their occupation of lands since 1988 to have their land claims recognized. This poses a significant barrier to securing ancestral territories and opens up these lands to mining, road construction, and other development projects that could lead to environmental degradation.

The indigenous peoples argue that such developments not only threaten their way of life but also have broader implications for climate change and the health of the planet. They highlight their role in protecting the environment and stress the interconnectedness of their existence with the preservation of forests. The protest, notably held within view of Congress, aims to shed light on the law approved by a body still dominated by interests contrary to those of indigenous communities. 

Despite the opposition, supporters of the law argue its necessity for legal clarity and the protection of commercial interests. However, indigenous representatives counter that the loss of their lands would lead to the erasure of their cultures and, subsequently, the degradation of forests crucial for mitigating climate change. They warn that the repercussions of such losses could extend far beyond their communities, impacting global climate and biodiversity.

The law's approval, despite resistance from left-wing President Lula da Silva, underscores the deep divisions within Brazilian politics and society over the rights of indigenous peoples and the stewardship of the environment. The stand-off in Brasília represents a crucial moment for Brazil's indigenous communities, signaling their readiness to fight for their rights and for the planet.



Brazil's indigenous people call out controversial new law

This is an unusual place for this Brazilian indigenous group to be performing a ritual. But they're one of around 200 groups and 8,000 people who've travelled from remote locations, often for days, in buses and sometimes boats. They've come to the capital, Brasilia, for an event they hope will not only highlight the challenges they face as indigenous peoples, but also address what they're calling the biggest setback to their rights in decades, a new law known as the Time Marker Law. So the Time Marker Law is an attempt by the Brazilian state, its leaders and politicians, to try to continue annihilating indigenous peoples. That completely attacks the right to be indigenous and to be indigenous in your own territory and to recognize that these territories belong to indigenous peoples. These territories connect our lives, our beings as indigenous peoples, our existence. For the indigenous peoples here at the camp in Brasilia, and across the country, the new law represents a watershed moment. It weakens their claims to their ancestral lands, saying these can only be recognized if they prove they occupied the territory in 1988. It also paved the way for mining, road building and other construction projects. Activists say this would be a disaster for the environment, which indigenous peoples protect. People, our planet is dying. And this planet does not only belong to indigenous peoples. If we don't look after it, if we don't use things that nature offers, we are going to die. We are talking about climate change. We are talking about green forests, which needs to be looked after. The indigenous peoples vent their rage at a demonstration in Brasilia's government district. The protest is taking place within sight of Congress, the body that approved the law they say now threatens their survival. Still dominated by wealthy landowners and the right-wing allies of agribusiness, Congress signed off on the measure, despite opposition from left-wing President Lula da Silva. Supporters argue the law is needed to establish legal certainty and protect commercial interests. But the indigenous peoples say without their lands, their way of life and culture will die. And without those, the forests will die, which will likely have an impact on climate change. That could have consequences for everyone.

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