Tens of thousands joined the "Great People's March" in Belém, the first major street protest at a UN climate summit since COP26. Indigenous leaders and activists demanded Amazon protection, more Indigenous representation and reparations, staging striking imagery including a mock funeral for fossil fuels and a giant inflatable Earth. Earlier Indigenous actions had already disrupted proceedings at the COP30 compound. Negotiations remain tense as ministers prepare to arrive and the Brazilian presidency pushes to bridge differences on targets, finance and adaptation before the Nov. 21 deadline.
Massive 'Great People's March' in Belém Elevates COP30 Pressure — Tens of Thousands Demand Amazon Protection and Indigenous Rights
Tens of thousands joined the "Great People's March" in Belém, the first major street protest at a UN climate summit since COP26. Indigenous leaders and activists demanded Amazon protection, more Indigenous representation and reparations, staging striking imagery including a mock funeral for fossil fuels and a giant inflatable Earth. Earlier Indigenous actions had already disrupted proceedings at the COP30 compound. Negotiations remain tense as ministers prepare to arrive and the Brazilian presidency pushes to bridge differences on targets, finance and adaptation before the Nov. 21 deadline.
10:56 PM, 11/15/2025Environment
Massive 'Great People's March' in Belém puts COP30 in the spotlight
Tens of thousands of people filled the streets of Belém on Saturday in the "Great People's March," the first large-scale street protest at a UN climate summit since COP26 in Glasgow. Under a blazing sun, Indigenous leaders, community members and activists danced to booming music, pushed a giant inflatable Earth and carried a Brazilian flag reading "Protected Amazon." Others staged a theatrical funeral for fossil fuels, dressed in black and bearing three coffins labelled coal, oil and gas.
Voices from the march
"We are here to try to apply pressure so that countries fulfill their promises and we don't accept a regression," said Txai Surui, a prominent 28-year-old Indigenous leader.
Benedito Huni Kuin, a 50-year-old member of the Huni Kuin people from western Brazil, described the crisis as a forest "massacre" and called for stronger Indigenous representation at COP30 to defend land and rights. Organizers and participants pressed for reparations for harms caused by corporations and governments, especially for marginalized communities in the Amazon.
The demonstration — which organizers estimated at about 50,000 people — followed earlier Indigenous-led actions that disrupted talks inside Parque da Cidade, the COP30 compound built on a former airport. Earlier in the week protesters briefly clashed with security and on one occasion blocked an entrance for about two hours to spotlight Amazon struggles.
Protest imagery and politics
The march included a broad range of messages and symbolism: large Palestinian flags and "free Palestine" banners appeared among the crowd; performers on stilts depicted an Uncle Sam denouncing imperialism; and other artwork criticized U.S. political figures for supporting fossil fuels. Protesters also promoted alternatives such as agroecology and highlighted the role of trade unions in defending livelihoods.
After a 4.5-kilometre march through the city, the procession halted a few blocks from the COP30 venue, where soldiers had been deployed to secure the site. The crowd dispersed peacefully.
Negotiations remain fraught
Inside the COP30 compound, talks remained tense as negotiators grappled with weak emissions targets, the need to scale up finance from rich to poor countries, and how to bolster resilience and a fair transition to low-emission economies. The Brazilian COP presidency planned to present a strategy to reconcile competing demands as government ministers prepare to arrive next week. Delegations were reportedly encouraged to treat consultations as safe spaces to air concerns and to submit private notes on how talks are progressing.
The march underscored the widening gap between public pressure outside the venue and the delicate, high-stakes negotiations inside — and amplified calls for greater Indigenous participation and concrete commitments to protect the Amazon.