Brazilian Indigenous Peoples Protest in Defense of Their Lands

On Tuesday, Guarani Indigenous people blocked one of the main access roads to the city of Sao Paulo to protest against Bill 490, which sets a time limit for the demarcation of their ancestral lands.

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The Indigenous people from Jaragua set fire to tires on the Bandeirantes highway, which connects Sao Paulo with Santos, the main Brazilian port.

On Monday, they also protested at the Sao Paulo University's Law School, demanding that Bil 490 threatening environmental protection areas not be processed.

Last week, the Lower House called Bill 490 "urgent". If this bill is approved on Tuesday, it will go to the Senate for analysis and voting.

The tweet reads, "Women, men, and children blocked the highway to protest against against the Temporary Framework vote."

According to the Bill 490, the Brazilian state will only recognize as Indigenous territories those lands that Indigenous peoples had occupied until October 5, 1988, when the country's Constitution was promulgated.

With the current legislation, Indigenous peoples are not required to demonstrate that they were occupying their lands up to that date.

In order to legalize their territories, the Brazilian Indigenous peoples only need to carry out an administrative procedure through the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI).

After several hours of blockade of the highway, the Shock Troop, a anti-riot group of the Sao Paulo Military Police, dispersed the protesters using tear gas and rubber bullets.