News on the indigenous peasants struggle in Brazil

Featured image: indigenous peasants block a highway in Brazil. Source: A Nova Democracia.

Those days the indigenous peasantry has carried out numerous actions struggling against the latifundium and the old Brazilian State. We already reported on the harsh struggle and repression faced by the Guarani-Kaiowá indigenous peasants from the Indigenous Land Lagoa Panambi, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, who were attacked by the latifundium goons. This occurred with the complicity of the Brazilian National Force which withdrew from the area in order to allow the attack. The goons even attacked those who showed solidarity and supported the peasants. But the Guarani-Kaiowá stated they would not stop their struggle and it has been in that way.

After this repression the indigenous peasants blocked the MS-156 highway in the direction to Dourados, and protested against the Marco Temporal law and they showed solidarity with the Douradina warriors. The indigenous peasants reported that on this same highway a comrade was attacked by a vehicle within this same context of the struggle for land. Three indigenous peasants were detained due to this protest they made. In this case, the repressive force involved was the Civilian Police, which joins the National Force, the inaction from the government before those crimes and the protection provided by the old Brazilian State to the goons. In short, all of this shows the strait ties between the big landlords and the Luiz Inácio da Silva government.

Similar actions are taking place across the country, for example other indigenous peasants have blocked also highways such as the MA-014 on its way from Matinha to Viana. The indigenous peasants demand the regularization and demarcation of the Taquaritiua lands. Other blockades are reported in the BR-316 highway where around 100 indigenous peasants also struggle for land. There is a high number of indigenous peoples involved in this highway blockades: the Akroá Gamella, Guajajara, Awá-Guajá peoples, etc.

The Brazilian peasantry shows that it has no other option than to struggle for the land which belongs to them. The latifundium will not concede not even a small piece of land and the Brazilian government will not provide anything and it will work to safeguard the big landlords’ interests. Thus, the seizures of lands, highway blockades and other ways of struggle for land will continue in Brazil.