Indigenous groups gathering in Brazil's capital to protest president's land grant decisions
Thousands of Indigenous people are gathering in Brazil's capial for what is expected to become a protest against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's unfulfilled promises to create reserves and expel illegal miners and land-grabbers from their territories
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Thousands of Indigenous people began gathering in Brazil's capital on Monday for what was expected to become a protest against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's unfulfilled promises to create reserves and expel illegal miners and land-grabbers from their territories.
Holding Lula's government to account appeared to be the focus of this year's 20th Free Land Camp, an annual weeklong encampment of Indigenous people in Brasilia.
Last week, Lula created two new reserves instead of the six his government had promised for this year. During the announcement, he acknowledged that “some of our friends” would be frustrated.
Lula said the delay was at the behest of state governors and that it was necessary to find new areas for about 800 non-Indigenous peoples who would eventually be displaced upon defining the new reserves.
