At Least 20 Dakota Pipeline Protesters Arrested

By teleSUR

14 September 16

Scores of riot police arrived at the scene, most armed with semi-automatic weapons. The protesters have been initially unable to post bail.

mid a visibly beefed up police presence, at least 20 grassroots and Indigenous activists who oppose the US$3.8-billion North Dakota pipeline project were arrested Tuesday.

The main opposition group, the Red Warrior Camp, said via its Facebook page that journalists and medics were among those arrested. Twitter photos from the Sacred Stone Camp showed at least two other protesters chaining arms and legs to bulldozers at the construction site.

The jailed protesters were unable to post bail because they were denied contact with Standing Rock Camp attorneys, the Red Warrior Camp reported. The Morton County Sheriff's Office claimed that the attorneys were not licensed to work in North Dakota.

Around 100 riot police were present at the site, armed with semi-automatic weapons, pointing their guns at the unarmed, self-proclaimed “water protectors.” Photos from activists at the site showed a line of law enforcement officers blocking people from entering the protest site. Unicorn Riot said that its live Facebook video stream was censored “at a critical moment of our coverage,” where other users were blocked for sharing the footage.

Standing Rock protesters said that they would remain determined to “defend the land and water for as long as it takes.” The arrests and increasing militarization of the sites came as protesters across the U.S. took part in the #NoDAPL day of action.

Last Thursday, it was announced that the North Dakota National Guard would be on standby to assist local police to respond to the ongoing pipeline protests. At the time North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple said that the National Guard would be used to “protect the constitutional rights of those who want to protest peacefully.”

The U.S. Department of Justice blocked work on a 40-mile section of the pipeline last Friday, but other sections of the 1,172-mile project are set to continue.

The company behind the project, Energy Transfer Partners LP, said it is committed to continuing construction. Many protesters say that the fight needs to continue against the whole project. Protesters say that the oil pipeline will destroy the environment and Native American sacred sites, as well as polluting and diminishing water supplies.