Read the statement that connects racist logics of control and security in Rio and in the organization of COP 30
On October 28, 2025, public security forces of the state of Rio de Janeiro carried out a massacre that stands as the deadliest in the history of the state and of Brazil. More than 120 people had their lives taken by an ineffective and racist “war on drugs” project that has proven to be, in reality, a war against poor and Black people. This brutal act exposes the institutional racism embedded in Brazil’s public security institutions.
This was yet another racist and media-driven operation that fails to address the root causes of the problem and instead lays bare a state policy oriented toward the deliberate extermination of young Black people and the systematic violation of the rights of impoverished populations, by turning favela residents into enemies to be fought. This violence shows that the climate and social crisis is also a human rights crisis, one that primarily affects Black and peripheral bodies. Such an operation is connected to an international context of imperialist offensives that attempt to impose the stigma of narco-terrorism on Latin America, justifying U.S. interventions that disregard national sovereignty. Through the expansion of military bases, security cooperation agreements and joint operations under the pretext of combating drug trafficking and terrorism, the United States has intensified its military presence in Latin America, perpetuating a logic of geopolitical control that threatens the sovereignty of peoples, criminalizes social movements and legitimizes interventions that have historically served corporate interests in the region.
The coordinated response of the far right on social networks and in the media reinforces the Bolsonaro-aligned line that calls for U.S. intervention, handing over our sovereignty to capitalist interests while sacrificing Black bodies, LGBTQIAPN+ people and favela communities. This logic of domination and expropriation of life reflects, in an amplified way, the structural inequality that also manifests itself in environmental crises.
Brazil is home to the largest Black population outside the African continent. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2022), more than 56% of the Brazilian population identifies as Black, meaning the sum of Black and Brown people — corresponding to more than 120 million people. This majority has historically been responsible for building the country in cities, in the countryside, in the arts, in economies and in development, even when they do not benefit from it, all through daily resistance to systemic racism.
The conflict between organized crime, police forces and militias has imposed a logic of militarization of life on residents of Rio de Janeiro, especially in the favelas. This logic, however, does not make life safer nor does it resolve the deep, everyday problems of a profoundly unequal society.
In this context, it is also important to look at the situation in the city of Belém, which is preparing to host the People’s Summit and COP 30. Belém presents a reality distinct from that of Rio de Janeiro, although it shares with it the marks of social inequality, the absence of structural public policies and selective violence. While Rio has historically been shaped by the militarization of favelas, lethal police incursions and the control of factions and militias, in Belém the scenario manifests itself in other ways — with the presence of factions with local operations and connections to national groups, but without the same visibility of urban warfare that characterizes Rio. In recent years, Belém has recorded a reduction in homicide rates, but this does not automatically translate into a sense of security, especially for Black and peripheral youth living in low-lying neighborhoods, who remain the primary targets of state violence. The central difference is that in Belém violence tends to be less spectacularized by the media and less associated with large-scale confrontations, yet it still reflects the same structure of exclusion and racism that runs throughout the country.
To comrades who will come to Belém for the People’s Summit, it is important to pay attention to local dynamics and the inequalities that shape the city. Avoid traveling alone at night or in poorly lit areas and try to move in groups whenever possible. Use reliable transportation (well-known ride-hailing apps, cooperative taxis or identified event buses) and avoid displaying valuable objects. Urban violence in Belém, as in other large Brazilian cities, manifests itself in thefts, robberies and localized conflicts that may occur in different areas of the city. It is essential to act with the same care we would take in any capital, respecting territories, local populations and Amazonian cultural dynamics. We reaffirm that our presence here is also a political gesture — one of solidarity and listening to the peoples of the Amazon — and that our safety depends both on individual awareness and on the collective protection we build together.
On October 31, the federal government decreed a Law and Order Guarantee (GLO) operation specifically for the state of Pará, focusing on security during the preparatory period and the realization of COP 30 in Belém. The measure authorizes the Armed Forces to carry out patrols, searches and control of civilian areas under the argument of reinforcing public security. Although presented as a protection strategy, this measure concerns us, as historically the militarization of public space has meant increased repression, especially against Black, Indigenous and peripheral bodies.
In light of this, we reaffirm that our safety will not come from weapons, but from solidarity and popular organization. We will have an organic security team from social movements, made up of experienced militants committed to protecting our spaces and participants, as well as a popular legal advisory team on duty throughout all days of the Summit. These structures will ensure permanent monitoring of any situation of risk, abuse of authority or violation of rights. We will remain attentive, firm and organized, because our presence in Belém is an act of resistance and defense of life — the life of peoples, forests and the Amazon.
In this sense, the solidarity of peoples around the world and the denunciation of this racist project, incompatible with life, are urgent and necessary. Therefore, we reinforce the call to build a Summit that points to the strategic and leading role we hold. We denounce the false solutions of capitalism, militarization and racism, and we continue to reaffirm the need to build a society in which life is at the center.
We remain standing for those who have fallen and for those who are here. We express our solidarity with the families who, in this moment of pain and outrage over the loss of their loved ones, also march for the dignity of their territories.