Emboldened by Bolsonaro, armed invaders encroach on Brazil's tribal lands
MARCH 3, 2019 / 5:04 AM / UPDATED 11 HOURS AGO
Anthony Boadle
8 MIN READ
CAMPO NOVO DE RONDONIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Ten days after Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro took office, dozens of men entered protected indigenous land in a remote corner of the Amazon, hacking a pathway beneath the jungle canopy.
Inspired by Bolsonaro’s vow to open more native territory to commercial development, the men, armed with machetes, chainsaws and firearms, had come to stake their claims.
A tense stand-off ensued with members of the Uru-eu-wau-wau tribe, who captured the January confrontation on a cellphone video viewed by Reuters. The trespassers threatened to set fire to their villages to drive them out, tribal members said. Tribesmen readied poison-tipped arrows in their bows.
The invaders retreated. But a bullet-riddled sign at the entrance to their sprawling reservation now serves as their calling card.
The placard is emblazoned with the acronym FUNAI, a federal agency charged with protecting indigenous land rights that is widely loathed by agricultural interests.
More:
https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKCN1QK0BG-OCATP?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=401
(Everyone always expects this evil behavior from greedy right wingers who are counting on power seized by their fascist leaders. All their pretensions to morality evaporate the moment the moment they realize their victims are without power to protect themselves.)