Indigenous Protest in Roraima Over Brazil's 'Marco Temporal' Amendment

Hundreds of Indigenous people from the Raposa Serra do Sol territory gathered in Uiramutã, Roraima, on 6 May to protest Brazil's proposed constitutional amendment known as the Marco Temporal (PEC 48/2023). The amendment would limit Indigenous land claims to areas occupied at the time of the 1988 Constitution. Protesters, led by Macuxi professor Ernestina José de Souza of the Centro Willimon, displayed banners, sang traditional chants and demanded the Supreme Federal Court reject the proposal and protect their lands from illegal mining.

During the demonstration the activists blocked a section of federal highway BR‑174 at kilometre 676 near the Surumu River bridge in Pacaraima. Federal Highway Police negotiated with movement leaders, eventually allowing partial traffic flow while discussions continued. The action is part of a broader national Indigenous mobilization ahead of the STF’s virtual plenary session on the amendment.