Chief Raoni Says Bolsonaro Lied in UN Speech about Origin of Amazon Fires

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Chief Raoni Metukture commented on Saturday, September 26th, on President Jair Bolsonaro‘s speech at the United Nations (UN) Assembly last Tuesday.

At the time, Bolsonaro praised the government’s policy for the environment, said that Brazil is a victim of misinformation, and stated that the fires in the Amazon are caused “by the indigenous and the peasants, who burn their fields”.

Raoni visited Sinop, a town in the north of Mato Grosso state, to conduct cardiac exams and sought the press to defend indigenous people from attacks.

The Chief also said that he always had the support of other presidents to defend and preserve the environment through public policies. However, according to him, as of this year, he was no longer able to discuss these issues due to the lack of dialogue with the current President.

“We are the first inhabitants of this land and later the white man, who has been destroying life and nature, this worries me. I want to say to you here, that former presidents who have already sat in office like Tancredo Neves, Sarney, Collor… Everyone who passed there never disagreed with me. They never had any issues. These presidents welcomed my demands, to preserve nature,” he said.

Bolsonaro’s speech at the UN Assembly was delivered amid intense fires that have devastated the Pantanal in recent weeks. In September, the biome broke records in terms of fire outbreaks for the month. In the Amazon, the main target of concern of the international community, deforestation alerts increased 34 percent between August 2019 and July 2020, according to the National Institute of Space Research (INPE).

In his address, Bolsonaro said that the Amazon forest is humid. According to him, this is why fires do not spread into the interior of the forest.

“Our forest is humid and does not allow fires to spread inland. The fires occur virtually in the same locations, in the eastern surroundings of the forest, where the peasants and the indigenous burn their land in search of livelihood, in areas that have already been deforested. The criminal hotspots are fought with rigor and determination,” declared the President.

Fight for the environment

Chief Raoni is a recognized environmentalist and advocate of indigenous peoples’ rights. He is the leader of the Kayapó tribe, which lives in villages spread throughout the states of Mato Grosso and Pará.

His tireless struggle for land demarcation and protection of the Amazon Rainforest has earned him the respect and admiration not only of his people but of all Brazilian indigenous communities, as well as foreign heads of state such as French President Emmanuel Macron and environmentalists.

Raoni gained international projection in the 1980s, leading a global campaign ‘Save the Rainforest’, together with musician Sting. They visited 17 countries between April and June 1989. The campaign was very successful and allowed Chief Raoni the opportunity to raise global awareness about deforestation.

Twelve foundations for forest protection were created to raise funds for the establishment of a continuous reserve covering the Upper and Middle Xingu River Basin, between Mato Grosso and Pará.

Source: G1