A supporter of the indigenous people who have been occupying the old Indian Museum kicks a can of tear gas in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, March 22, 2013. The clash Friday is a bid to expel the group, some of whom have been squatting in the crumbling complex for years. The Indian museum has been at the center of a drawn-out legal battle between the several dozen Indians who've been living there for years and state and local authorities. Officials initially wanted to raze the complex as part of renovations ahead of Brazil's 2014 World Cup. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
March 22, 2013 - 4:32 AM
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian riot police are clashing with indigenous people and their supporters at an old Indian museum complex in Rio de Janeiro next to the legendary Maracana football stadium.
The clash Friday is a bid to expel the group, some of whom have been squatting in the crumbling complex for years.
The Indian museum has been at the centre of a drawn-out legal battle between the several dozen Indians who've been living there for years and state and local authorities. Officials initially wanted to raze the complex as part of renovations ahead of Brazil's 2014 World Cup.
Police used tear gas and some came to blows with the Indians' supporters in an early-morning scuffle. Two helicopters hovered overhead.
Dozens of Indians and their supporters were still holed up in the complex,.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013