cross-posted from Appalachians Against the Pipeline
“Max blocked access to a Mountain Valley Pipeline easement and equipment yard lot for 5.5 hours today!! During that time, workers and pipe trucks were unable to access the site, effectively halting work in the area.
Around 11:30 A.M., after the cops cut through the blockade vehicle’s welded shut doors and rebar, Max was extracted from the blockade and arrested.
In reference to the message painted on the side of the blockade vehicle, “Who Killed The World?,” Max stated: “The truth is, the end of the world is not new. Indigenous people around the world have faced and continued to face settler colonialism and genocide and have survived. As I sit here in Virginia, Palestinian people are confronting that same colonial violence as bombs fall on apartment buildings and families are forced from their homes. […] The people of Palestine and Colombia are in my heart today. The Indigenous people of occupied Turtle Island are in my heart today. Their fierceness emboldens me to take this risk in the fight against MVP.
“Hope is not a mistake. Resistance is not a mistake. Imagining our survival is not a mistake.”
Montgomery County resident Crystal Mello, who was present at the public rally today in support of Max’s blockade, added: “There have been many ‘proper’ channels taken, and many protests against the Mountain Valley Pipeline. All have gone unheard. It’s come to the point where it takes measures like this to grab the media’s attention and get people to listen. Meanwhile, MVP still can’t work on Cove Hollow Rd, a site they had to irresponsibly abandon, and I’m currently looking at a hill they have to blast. These are the things that should have caught people’s attention long ago. I stand in support of the protest today.”Actions like this cost MVP time and money (adding to their ballooning budget and delaying their estimated completion date — nearly $3 billion over budget and 3.5 years behind schedule and counting), making the pipeline less profitable and decreasing the chances that it will ever be finished. Thank you, Max!
Donate to support Max and resistance to the Mountain Valley Pipeline: bit.ly/SupportMVPResistance
Join us: email appalachiansagainstpipelines@protonmail.com