To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Indigenous leaders from all over Brazil attended the Mebengokre Meeting that took place in Parque do Xingu last week. The leaders discussed strategies for protecting their land and Indigenous people from President Jair Bolsonaro racist and anti-climate agenda. (Photo: @ApibOficial/Twitter)
Indigenous leaders in Brazil on Friday vowed to stop President Jair Bolsonaro's assault on their land and people, filing a lawsuit against the president for his latest racist statements about the country's Indigenous population.
In a video posted to social media Thursday, Bolsonaro said Indigenous people in Brazil are "evolving and becoming more and more, a human being like us."
"What we want is to integrate him into society so he can own his land," Bolsonaro added.
"We Indigenous peoples, who are native to this land, demand respect! Bolsonaro once again tears the Constitution by denying our existence as human beings."
--Sonia Guajajara, APIB
The Association of Indigenous Peoples (APIB) announced shortly after the video's publication that it would file suit against the president for the crime of racism, which can carry a sentence of up to five years in Brazil.
"We Indigenous peoples, who are native to this land, demand respect!" wrote Sonia Guajajara on Twitter. "Bolsonaro once again tears the Constitution by denying our existence as human beings."
Brazil's approximately 900,000-strong Indigenous population mainly lives on reservations that make up about 12% of Brazilian land. Bolsonaro has sought to roll back that land even further, suggesting that he would place reservation boundaries under review.
Last year, human rights and green groups blamed Bolsonaro's pro-deforestation policies for the burning of millions of acres of the Amazon rainforest, where Indigenous tribes have lived for millennia, as the administration encouraged loggers and ranchers to burn the forest to make way for their business interests.
The intense burning of the forest came shortly after Bolsonaro took office, vowing to make Indigenous people part of "the real Brazil" and "give them value as real Brazilians."
Bolsonaro has expressed admiration for the military dictatorship which forced Indigenous people to move into cities from 1964 to 1985, as business interests developed parts of the Amazon.
"We need to put a stop to this perverse man," Guajajara said Friday after Bolsonaro's latest claim that Indigenous people must change their way of life for the benefit of mining, logging, and ranching industries.
Earlier this month, Bolsonaro's government sent a bill to Congress proposing the legalization of hydroelectric dams and oil and gas exploration in Indigenous lands.
Last week, Chief Raoni Metuktire hosted Indigenous leaders from across the country at a four-day summit in Xingu Indigenous Park, to discuss a path forward for combating Bolsonaro's attacks.
\u201cCacique Raoni chamou e jovens e anci\u00e3os de mais de 40 etnias se reuniram para obrigar Bolsonaro a cumprir a Constitui\u00e7\u00e3o. A P\u00fablica compareceu ao encontro a convite dos jovens kayap\u00f3, organizadores do evento, e registrou dan\u00e7as e falas de uni\u00e3o e resist\u00eancia.\u201d— Ag\u00eancia P\u00fablica (@Ag\u00eancia P\u00fablica) 1579798800
The attendees issued a call to protect Brazil's Indigenous people from Bolsonaro's planned "genocide, ethnocide, and ecocide."
"The riches Bolsonaro speaks of are white man's riches, to buy cars and planes and ranches," Kayapo tribe leader Megaron Txucarramae toldReuters during the meeting. "Our riches are in the forest and the rivers here."
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Indigenous leaders in Brazil on Friday vowed to stop President Jair Bolsonaro's assault on their land and people, filing a lawsuit against the president for his latest racist statements about the country's Indigenous population.
In a video posted to social media Thursday, Bolsonaro said Indigenous people in Brazil are "evolving and becoming more and more, a human being like us."
"What we want is to integrate him into society so he can own his land," Bolsonaro added.
"We Indigenous peoples, who are native to this land, demand respect! Bolsonaro once again tears the Constitution by denying our existence as human beings."
--Sonia Guajajara, APIB
The Association of Indigenous Peoples (APIB) announced shortly after the video's publication that it would file suit against the president for the crime of racism, which can carry a sentence of up to five years in Brazil.
"We Indigenous peoples, who are native to this land, demand respect!" wrote Sonia Guajajara on Twitter. "Bolsonaro once again tears the Constitution by denying our existence as human beings."
Brazil's approximately 900,000-strong Indigenous population mainly lives on reservations that make up about 12% of Brazilian land. Bolsonaro has sought to roll back that land even further, suggesting that he would place reservation boundaries under review.
Last year, human rights and green groups blamed Bolsonaro's pro-deforestation policies for the burning of millions of acres of the Amazon rainforest, where Indigenous tribes have lived for millennia, as the administration encouraged loggers and ranchers to burn the forest to make way for their business interests.
The intense burning of the forest came shortly after Bolsonaro took office, vowing to make Indigenous people part of "the real Brazil" and "give them value as real Brazilians."
Bolsonaro has expressed admiration for the military dictatorship which forced Indigenous people to move into cities from 1964 to 1985, as business interests developed parts of the Amazon.
"We need to put a stop to this perverse man," Guajajara said Friday after Bolsonaro's latest claim that Indigenous people must change their way of life for the benefit of mining, logging, and ranching industries.
Earlier this month, Bolsonaro's government sent a bill to Congress proposing the legalization of hydroelectric dams and oil and gas exploration in Indigenous lands.
Last week, Chief Raoni Metuktire hosted Indigenous leaders from across the country at a four-day summit in Xingu Indigenous Park, to discuss a path forward for combating Bolsonaro's attacks.
\u201cCacique Raoni chamou e jovens e anci\u00e3os de mais de 40 etnias se reuniram para obrigar Bolsonaro a cumprir a Constitui\u00e7\u00e3o. A P\u00fablica compareceu ao encontro a convite dos jovens kayap\u00f3, organizadores do evento, e registrou dan\u00e7as e falas de uni\u00e3o e resist\u00eancia.\u201d— Ag\u00eancia P\u00fablica (@Ag\u00eancia P\u00fablica) 1579798800
The attendees issued a call to protect Brazil's Indigenous people from Bolsonaro's planned "genocide, ethnocide, and ecocide."
"The riches Bolsonaro speaks of are white man's riches, to buy cars and planes and ranches," Kayapo tribe leader Megaron Txucarramae toldReuters during the meeting. "Our riches are in the forest and the rivers here."
Indigenous leaders in Brazil on Friday vowed to stop President Jair Bolsonaro's assault on their land and people, filing a lawsuit against the president for his latest racist statements about the country's Indigenous population.
In a video posted to social media Thursday, Bolsonaro said Indigenous people in Brazil are "evolving and becoming more and more, a human being like us."
"What we want is to integrate him into society so he can own his land," Bolsonaro added.
"We Indigenous peoples, who are native to this land, demand respect! Bolsonaro once again tears the Constitution by denying our existence as human beings."
--Sonia Guajajara, APIB
The Association of Indigenous Peoples (APIB) announced shortly after the video's publication that it would file suit against the president for the crime of racism, which can carry a sentence of up to five years in Brazil.
"We Indigenous peoples, who are native to this land, demand respect!" wrote Sonia Guajajara on Twitter. "Bolsonaro once again tears the Constitution by denying our existence as human beings."
Brazil's approximately 900,000-strong Indigenous population mainly lives on reservations that make up about 12% of Brazilian land. Bolsonaro has sought to roll back that land even further, suggesting that he would place reservation boundaries under review.
Last year, human rights and green groups blamed Bolsonaro's pro-deforestation policies for the burning of millions of acres of the Amazon rainforest, where Indigenous tribes have lived for millennia, as the administration encouraged loggers and ranchers to burn the forest to make way for their business interests.
The intense burning of the forest came shortly after Bolsonaro took office, vowing to make Indigenous people part of "the real Brazil" and "give them value as real Brazilians."
Bolsonaro has expressed admiration for the military dictatorship which forced Indigenous people to move into cities from 1964 to 1985, as business interests developed parts of the Amazon.
"We need to put a stop to this perverse man," Guajajara said Friday after Bolsonaro's latest claim that Indigenous people must change their way of life for the benefit of mining, logging, and ranching industries.
Earlier this month, Bolsonaro's government sent a bill to Congress proposing the legalization of hydroelectric dams and oil and gas exploration in Indigenous lands.
Last week, Chief Raoni Metuktire hosted Indigenous leaders from across the country at a four-day summit in Xingu Indigenous Park, to discuss a path forward for combating Bolsonaro's attacks.
\u201cCacique Raoni chamou e jovens e anci\u00e3os de mais de 40 etnias se reuniram para obrigar Bolsonaro a cumprir a Constitui\u00e7\u00e3o. A P\u00fablica compareceu ao encontro a convite dos jovens kayap\u00f3, organizadores do evento, e registrou dan\u00e7as e falas de uni\u00e3o e resist\u00eancia.\u201d— Ag\u00eancia P\u00fablica (@Ag\u00eancia P\u00fablica) 1579798800
The attendees issued a call to protect Brazil's Indigenous people from Bolsonaro's planned "genocide, ethnocide, and ecocide."
"The riches Bolsonaro speaks of are white man's riches, to buy cars and planes and ranches," Kayapo tribe leader Megaron Txucarramae toldReuters during the meeting. "Our riches are in the forest and the rivers here."
