Thousands of students gathered in cities across Brazil on November 1 to protest violence against Indigenous communities, one week after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was reelected president. The demonstrations called for an end to killings and took place amid reports of attacks that began during the presidential campaign.
The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) recorded 40 incidents involving Indigenous people between July and October, an average of one every three days. The majority of reported cases concern the Guarani-Kaiowá, who are seeking the demarcation of ancestral lands in Mato Grosso do Sul, where soybean producers occupy the territory.
Following the first round of voting on October 4, arson attacks and threats to invade Indigenous lands raised concerns. The violence was attributed to cattle ranchers who had been removed from those lands and believed that far-right candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, who led Lula after the first round, would win and allow them to regain control.
Indigenous communities had hoped Lula’s reelection would ease tensions. The left-wing president is described as a defender of Indigenous rights, but the incidents recorded by APIB cover the period through October.
Sources: Le Monde International.