Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Protesters Breach COP30 Security in Belém, Injuring Two Guards as Talks Continue

Officials report the venue secure after the breach, with Indigenous-led protests continuing nearby.

People riding in boats participate in a People's Summit event on Guajara Bay during the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Participants in the People's Summit event paddle on Guajara Bay during the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, with the skyline of Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
Indigenous peoples participate in the People's Summit event, on Guajara Bay during the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
Whaia, from Aotearoa, Māori for New Zealand, right, and her daughter Moana Mason, 8, cool off as they participate in the People's Summit event on Guajara Bay during the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Overview

  • UN Climate Change said protesters broke through barriers at the main entrance on Tuesday night, causing minor injuries to two security staff and slight damage to the site.
  • Brazilian and UN security followed established protocols to secure the complex, and both authorities have opened an investigation while negotiations proceed.
  • Reporters on scene observed one guard taken away in a wheelchair and another with a cut from a thrown drumstick, and authorities confiscated several sticks during the clash.
  • Demonstrators included Indigenous groups pressing for land rights and stronger protections for forests and territories as large civil‑society events, including a flotilla and the People's Summit, unfolded nearby.
  • Local allegations that roadside trees were cleared for summit preparations and that funds went to decorative plantings have been reported by a single outlet and have limited independent verification.