In recent weeks, national and local politicians who oppose recognition of uncontacted Indigenous peoples’ rights have mounted a series of attacks:
- A proposed reserve known as Yavari-Mirim for uncontacted peoples in NE Peru which proceeded through various stages of approval for the last 20 years was blocked at the final stage. Key ministries — which should have been present — boycotted the final vote.
- A proposed law has been introduced to Congress that would allow for the “review” of all existing reserves for uncontacted peoples every 6 months. A new “review commission” could reduce or cancel any of Peru’s 8 such reserves. This would be a fatal blow to Peru’s whole system of protection for uncontacted peoples’ territories — which has existed for decades.
- Another proposed bill would open up all protected areas to oil and gas drilling. There are about 18 such areas in Peru where uncontacted Indigenous people live.
- One of Peru’s leading anti-Indigenous politicians, Congressman Juan Carlos Celis Mori, has denied the existence of uncontacted peoples in the northern Loreto province, even though their presence there has been comprehensively documented over decades.
Clowns is nice to them. It makes them sound just dumb.
It obscures that they are working for the interests of the ruling class in order to maintain heirarchies.