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Amazon natives fight eviction (Photos)

More than a week after the Brazilian Police’s Shock Battalion evicted indigenous and allied protestors using tear gas, pepper spray and batons from a contested site in Rio de Janeiro near one of the country’s top sports stadiums, attorneys for the Tamoio Movement of Original Peoples (TMOP) have filed suit at the Federal Public Ministry to halt the eviction and prevent the demolition of the old museum.

On March 22, close to 200 agents of the Shock Battalion marched into the area and attacked the gathered protestors with tear gas and pepper spray, forcing the removal of the last residents of the Aldeia Maracana and arresting at least six indigenous people from the area.

The TMOP, representing the various Indigenous Peoples who have been settling around the former Indian Museum in Rio de Janeiro, filed the lawsuit and issued a press statement on Monday, April 1st. In their statement the TMOP gave an overview of their activities in the area and their negotiations with local and federal authorities.

The conflict over the site dates back to 2006 when Indigenous Peoples began to occupy the area around the museum which had been closed and abandoned, by building huts and reclaiming the area for its historical and spiritual significance to indigenous people in Brazil. The former Indian Museum sits on property next to the Maracana Stadium, one of the sites for the upcoming 2014 World Cup soccer games.

Since the occupation, the TMOP asserted that indigenous activists have developed programs for use in local schools and universities for the purpose of “…deconstructing the distorted history of our peoples in the majority of textbooks…” as well as start to build a small community dedicated to preserving indigenous history and culture. The community members of the TMOP are from the Pataxo, Tukano, Guarani, Puri, Apurina, Tupinamba, Kaingang and Satere-Mauwe peoples and they refer to their settlement as the Maracana Village.


The press statement also noted the reaction of the Indigenous Peoples to the actions of the Shock Battalion troops.

“We want to reaffirm that we repudiate the barbaric and inhuman way that we were treated by Military Police by order of the government, disrespecting that which was established in the document of reintegration… While the military police used pepper spray, tear gas bombs, rubber bullets and sonic weapons against us, all we had to defend us were only our maracas and our songs evoking our ancestors.”


The TMOP activists also said that they were approaching various government officials, such as the Minister of Agriculture, to negotiate a way of preserving the contested area to include a possible indigenous reference center.

They also noted that, “…the property of the old Indian Museum, located in the historic center of resistance Tupinambã¡ and Tamoia against the Portuguese invasion... There were the spirits of our ancestors and it was time to return home.”
SOURCE




Responses to "Indigenous Protestors File Suit in Brazil After Violent Eviction in Rio"

  1. Anonymous says:

    People, what are we doing??? Where are we taking humanity to?? Something is so very wrong...........how could humans do this to other humans.........are you all sheep??? It saddens my spirit...........

  2. Anonymous says:

    They do it because there they don't see them as equals. They see them as below them they are treating these people just like they treat animals there. Greed has taken over and they won't oen there eyes to anything but that. Its sad and a shame. We will loose so many unknown animals there because of there greed. These people are trying to keep there culture.

  3. Anonymous says:

    se me hace dificil pensar que son humanos los tipos armados,el gobierno pagara cada una de las vidas que quiten con sus propias vidas, no son inmortales y deben tener respeto y cuidado, por las vidas de todos,habra otros invasores a los que no podran deshalojar....asi que protejan a los que estan sacando de sus tierras

  4. Anonymous says:

    well awhile back i thought i heard the president of brazil said that FIFA wanted this.so isay lets suit FIFA as will,lets get their opinion see who wanted what.

  5. I hope a worldly boycott on the world cup and Olympic game in Brazil will put some brain in their stupid government,they are destroying the amazon ,it's indigenous people ,fauna and flora and they use armed policemen against innocent people,shame on the world citizens that allow this to happen!

  6. Indian people ARE NOT priority in my country, Brazil. unfortunately!

  7. Unknown says:

    ...and justice for all. So shame on you white civilized people.

  8. Unknown says:

    Typical tyranny.Indigenous people always get mistreated.

  9. Unknown says:

    Just like Avatar the movie. Horrible what the human race is doing to each other.

  10. Unknown says:

    Ridiculous is the way that most of the people are living. Fucking greedy idiots! they are aware but just dont care. all they care about is money and materials goods. Watch tv... what about love, share and respect for the nature? I believe a change is coming in a near future and this dictators shall fall and be punished. The good always wins!

  11. Nick Ashby says:

    And it's all about how ''the beautiful game'' is seen. I never have been a footabll fan and this just tells me I've been right not to like it. It's far too ego based :-((

  12. Anonymous says:

    No matter what country it is the indigenous people have always been mistreated and their land taken away. I will pray that the stadium is never built. The government there is so wrong. They are greedy.

  13. Anonymous says:

    It has to be a way, to stop this, everywere it happens. This is their birthright of the native people. this happenning in Brazil doesn`t suprise me. Many years back, when they wore holding a big sportsevent, they cleaned the streets from children living in the street, begging, i heard chocking stories, of how the goverment aloud, shooting many of this children. Just for our visit in their country, for this event. They wanted to show us what a great country they were, in my opinion they are everything, but a great country. Human rights, and lives is no concideration for the goverment. They simply attack them, like they done in this story, and it wont be the last. My heart goes out, to this fighting heroes, the natives. Juni

  14. Anonymous says:

    Government always has to turn everyone into robots or zombies!! Can't let people be happy!! Such annoyance!!

  15. Anonymous says:

    "Pepy Metaxa says:
    April 05, 2013 4:10 PM
    ...and justice for all. So shame on you white civilized people,

    This comment disgusts me. This is inequality at its finest. I don't care what color you are, it doesn't cause someone to do something like this. It's this belief that causes these cycles to continue. I don't know why anything about race was even mentioned! Hate and ignorance is ruining our world, and always have.

  16. Anonymous says:

    Does a culture have value simply because it exists?

  17. Anonymous says:

    They wouldn't be doing it if the Rightful Residence of the land were armed!
    No wonder why the poor in Brazil capture the rich and ransom them!

  18. Anonymous says:

    The event that no one reported anywhere was the Bush family's land theft of the Northern chaco of Paraguay. The Paraguayan government went in and "displaced" thousands of Guarani Indian families to clear the 100k acres of land for the Bush family in 2007. Once cleared, Jenna Bush flew into the country to make the final payment. The Guarani camped out all over Asuncion in protest until the Government Politic of Paraguay decided to offer them land elsewhere in Paraguay. The new administration cam in in 2008 and kicked the "squatters" off of the Government land; again setting the Guarani adrift, homeless in there own lands. If this had happened to 1 single Jew, a hail storm of bombs and sanctions would have rained down!

  19. Anonymous says:

    http://youtu.be/sru9_pmKjGc

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