Tribe forges ahead with North Dakota pipeline fight despite arrests
Activists are opposing an oil pipeline project which threatens local water supplies. Police have responded with a millitarised use of force.
The Native American Standing Rock tribe and other activists vowed on Friday to continue their fight against a multibillion-dollar oil pipeline project in North Dakota, a day after police arrested 141 of their members.
In a statement, Dave Archambault II, the tribe's chairman, said, "We won't step down from this fight... This is about our water, our rights, and our dignity as human beings."
The project has drawn opposition from activists, including a growing list of celebrities, who say it threatens local water supplies and sacred tribal sites.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has sent a delegation of human rights observers to monitor the tense situation as they expressed alarm at the militarised use of force by local police, according to a recent press release.
Today, we experienced police protecting & serving the interests of Dakota Access, LLC. #NoDAPL #PeopleOverProfits pic.twitter.com/dzRBdIm5Fc
— tara houska (@zhaabowekwe) October 28, 2016
"People here just want to stand up for the rights of Indigenous people and protect their natural resources. These people should not be treated like the enemy," said Eric Ferrero, director of communications for AIUSA.
"Police must keep the peace using minimal force appropriate to the situation. Confronting men, women, and children while outfitted in gear more suited for the battlefield is a disproportionate response."
Rubber bullets in the face of peaceful and prayerful Water Protectors at #standingrock please https://t.co/1mVgFzDf4L
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) October 28, 2016
Rubber bullets in the face of peaceful and prayerful Water Protectors at Standing Rock. Please Barack Obama please help those young people you met on the reservation and brought to The White House.
Posted by Mark Ruffalo on Thursday, October 27, 2016
Activists have been protesting for several months, and a total of 411 protesters have been arrested since August 10, the sheriff's department said.
Thursday's arrests came at the site of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, when dozens of riot police swept through a protester camp on private land using pepper spray, bean bag rounds and an audio cannon against demonstrators who refused to leave.
Amid the protests, the US government halted construction on part of the pipeline in September.
He affected area includes land under Lake Oahe, a large reservoir on the Missouri River where the line was supposed to cross.
Many celebrities have been outspoken in the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Meanwhile, opposition to the pipeline continues to gather the backing of celebrities.
Among the actors who have already lent their voices to the cause are Shailene Woodley, Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo.
Two people who are used to having the world's attention, Rev. Jesse Jackson and actor Mark Ruffalo, joined the...
Posted by KFYR-TV on Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Yo we got a Hulk and a Thor #StandingWithStandingRock! #AvengersReassemble chrishemsworth's photo https://t.co/QPMsO18IRD
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) October 28, 2016
On Thursday, Australian actor Chris Hemsworth showed his solidarity with demonstrators in an Instagram post.