Crowds march at the gates of the UN climate talks in Brazil

Thousands of climate protesters marched to the beat of a thumping sound system, bringing their message to the doorstep of the COP30 climate talks in Brazil.

Protesters in the host city of Belém chanted and sang “Liberate the Amazon” and held three giant coffins labeled oil, coal and gas, with two Grim Reapers at their side.

Indigenous groups weaved through the crowds under the hot sun, displaying signs that read “We are the answer” as swelling elephants and anacondas did.

It is the first time since 2021 that protesters have been allowed to demonstrate outside UN climate talks. The last three incidents took place in countries that do not allow public protests.

“Fossil fuels are still burning. We know all too well what it’s like to live on the front lines of climate change.” Brianna Pruan, a climate activist from Samoa, a low-lying island that is extremely vulnerable to climate change, told the BBC.

“There are a lot of police here marching for justice, for the end of fossil fuels,” said Ilan, a Brazil-based member of the non-governmental organization 350.

Thousands of indigenous communities, Brazilian youth groups and activists joined the march.

Some held signs saying “Determine boundaries now,” calling for indigenous peoples to be given legal ownership of their territory.

Hundreds of indigenous groups live in the Amazon and are considered by experts to be the best protectors of biodiversity and forests.

Sister protests are taking place all over the world, including in the UK.

This comes after sign-carrying protesters breached security lines at the summit on Tuesday, an incident that left two security staff members with minor injuries and caused some damage to the venue.

Meanwhile, north of Belém, negotiations continued at the COP30 summit on Saturday. Nearly 200 countries are meeting to make progress on climate change.

Little progress was made in the first week of talks, although some delegations said they were moving forward with an agreed strategy to meet past promises to stop using fossil fuels that cause global warming.

Brazilian President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva chose the city of Belém to host the summit and focus world attention on the Amazon and its indigenous peoples.

But just before the talks began last week, his government authorized Brazil’s state oil company to explore for oil at the mouth of the Amazon.