"Empate" is a word or term in Brazilian Portuguese which means "block, parry, standoff". It is derived from the verb "empatar".
In Brazil the term Empate is associated with a form of non-violent resistance used during 1970-1980 in the western regions of the country, mainly in the Amazon rainforest, by seringueiros (people who collected sap and rubber from Para rubber trees) who desired to keep the forest intact.
An Empate group was usually formed by 50-100 people, which were holding each other's hands and surrounded any area which was to be deforested, while trying to convince workers to desist from taking action against the forest.
The technique started to become inefficient when the brazilian government approved the usage of cops and security guards to protect workers in the forest and to break the blocks with violence. In ten years more than a hundred people lost their lives.
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Information about Empate on google books