North Dakota tribe vows to continue pipeline protest despite arrests
A Native American tribe and other protesters have promised to continue their struggle against a controversial multibillion-dollar oil pipeline in the US state of North Dakota, despite hundreds of arrests by police.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe vowed on Friday to continue their fight through direct action, legal challenges and growing celebrity support, a day after police arrested 141 of their members.
"We won't step down from this fight ... This is about our water, our rights, and our dignity as human beings," Dave Archambault II, the tribe's chairman, said in a statement.
The tribe wants observers from the US Justice Department to probe the use of force by police, said Sue Evans, a spokeswoman for the tribe.
On Thursday, police arrested 141 protesters as officers attempted to clear a camp on private property in the path of the proposed $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline.
Officers in riot helmets used pepper spray and shot beanbag rounds on some of the estimated 330 protesters as helicopters flew overhead.
Demonstrators also allegedly set a car and some tires on fire, giving the scene a war zone-like appearance.
Police expect additional protests, and possibly more arrests, in the coming days.
A number of Native American tribes, as well as activists and celebrities, are opposed to the pipeline, claiming it threatens local water supplies and sacred tribal sites.
They have been protesting for several months, and a total of 411 protesters have been arrested since August 10, the Morton County Sheriff's Department said.
The federal government has twice asked the pipeline operator to voluntarily pause construction near the tribe's reservation while the authorities reconsider the project's route. But courts have refused to compel a halt.
Supporters of the pipeline say it would be safer and more cost-effective than transporting the oil by road or rail.
The 1,885-km (1,172-mile) pipeline, being built by Energy Transfer Partners, would offer the fastest route to bring Bakken shale oil from North Dakota to oil refineries in the US Gulf Coast.
Washington police clear pro-Palestine encampment, arrest dozens
Rachel Corrie's dad 'proud' of her alma mater’s divestment from Israel
Ireland’s Trinity College joins pro-Palestine student protests
UN General Assembly resolution urges fresh vote on Palestinian statehood
US campus protests: Columbia affiliate college fully divests from Israel
Iran among top producers of radiopharmaceuticals, high-quality heavy water: AEOI chief
Israel’s Rafah incursion to result in 'humanitarian disaster': UN Chief
VIDEO | Gaza aid operations at risk of imminent shutdown, UN agencies warn
Israel downplays Biden’s threat of freezing arms supplies
UN: 100,000 Palestinians displaced from Rafah amid Israeli invasion
Hezbollah hits group of Israeli soldiers at military post
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
