Thousands of indigenous people marched in Brazil's capital, calling on the government to officially recognize the lands they have lived on for centuries and protect the territory from criminal activities such as illegal mining.
Carrying placards with messages such as “The future is indigenous,” they marched Thursday toward Three Powers Square, home to Congress, the Supreme Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace in Brasilia.
A group of indigenous leaders entered the palace to speak to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, while others shouted outside the building: “Our rights are non-negotiable. Last week, he backed away from the creation of four indigenous territories, citing opposition from state governors.
In addition to calls for greater recognition of the land, some tribes protested a proposed 950 km (590 mi) railway project to transport soybeans from the central state of Mato Grosso to ports along the Tapajos River, a major tributary of the Amazon. .
Indigenous leaders from the Kayapo, Panara and Munduruku tribes said they were not sufficiently consulted and fear the new infrastructure will lead to increased deforestation.
Thursday's gathering marked the culmination of the annual Free Land Indigenous Camp, now in its 20th year. Unlike the previous two years, the president was not invited to visit the camp set up on Brazil's main promenade.
“There is political instability, disrespect and mistrust,” Marivelton Bare, head of the Rio Negro Federation of Indigenous Organizations, told The Associated Press during the march.
“We expected a lot from the government, but it is doing very little. We knew Congress would be hostile, but not as hostile as it has been. And in Congress, the government uses indigenous and environmental issues as bargaining chips,” added Bare, whose organization represents 24 indigenous tribes from the northwestern part of the Brazilian Amazon.
Lula, previously president from 2003 to 2010, began a third term last January. Since then, his administration has created 10 indigenous territories, which leaders say is not enough. It has at least 251 territories pending recognition by the federal government, according to the nonprofit Socio-Environmental Institute.
Indigenous territories make up about 13 percent of Brazil's territory. Most of these areas are located in the Amazon rainforest.
Even at a slow pace, Lula's demarcations stand in stark contrast to those of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who kept his promise not to create an inch of additional indigenous land. But the indigenous demands face growing opposition from the powerful agribusiness sector, which has the support of hundreds of members of Congress and several governors across the country.