Tag: direct action

More Appalachian Pipeline Fighters Held without Bail

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cross-posted from Appalachians Against Pipelines

Thomas and Molly, who were arrested today after Thomas locked himself to a truck carrying pieces of pipe for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, are being held without bail on bullshit FELONY KIDNAPPING charges!!!
According to the New River Valley Regional Jail, Thomas and Molly’s charges — after 2.5 hours of a nonviolent blockade — are felony kidnapping (abduct by force without justification), felony larceny (unauthorized use of auto worth > $200), and misdemeanor riot/unlawful assembly (obstruction of free passage). Both are scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
This is truly, astoundingly outrageous. These charges are clearly an intimidation tactic by the cops and the courts. This makes FOUR Mountain Valley Pipeline fighters currently held without bail! As we stated when Acre and Wren were not granted bail after being extracted from the Yellow Finch tree sits, the choice to deny our friends bail and hold them in jail is vindictive and political — a chance to punish pipeline fighters and attempt to scare off continued resistance to the Mountain Valley Pipeline. For years, the courts have shown their contempt for any water protectors who have put themselves in the pipeline’s path to stop construction.
Don’t let the cops and courts stop the resistance! Fight back! Take action in your community! Show up to court dates for pipeline fighters! Support prisoners! Stop the MVP!
Join us: appalachiansagainstpipelines@protonmail.com
First image photo credit Jen Deerinwater

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Hill City, MN: Water Protectors Block Line 3 Construction in Honor of Earth Day

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: media@resistline3.org

(Hill City, MN) Early Friday morning, five water protectors locked themselves into concrete barrels at the entrance of Swatara oil pump station, halting construction of the Line 3 Replacement project. This action was taken with Camp Migizi in recognition of Earth Day, coming a day ahead of “Stop Line 3 x Earth Day”, a march that will be taking place in Duluth, Minnesota. Two of the protestors sat behind a hand painted banner reading “Earth Day Every Day”, while other banners in front of the pump station gate read “No Pipelines on Stolen Land,” “Land Back,” and “Protect the Water.”

Construction faces active and growing resistance led by Indigenous groups who see the project and the risk of a spill as a violation of treaty rights, as the project endangers wild rice lakes in treaty territories where the Anishinaabe have the right to hunt, fish, and gather. There have been over 250 arrests made since construction began in December 2020, making this the largest pipeline protest since Standing Rock.

One of the water protectors present at the action decried the construction of Line 3 for breaking treaties and desecrating the land. In their words, “What Enbridge is doing is perpetuating that colonial cycle of violence and disregard, until we are at a point where our waters do not flow, and our grasses wilt and die, and all we have in common are fires, floods, state surveillance, and the thin, decimated ozone hanging low above our heads.”

Groups resisting Line 3 in honor of Earth Day cite the ecological destruction that is being caused by the pipeline, particularly the project’s contribution to climate change. Oil from the tar sands is the world’s most carbon-intensive fuel, and the expanded Line 3 would release as much carbon as 50 new coal-fired power plants. Enbridge calls this construction a “replacement project”, omitting the fact that the new Line 3 pipeline would nearly double its capacity to carry oil, all but guaranteeing that our state would not meet its emissions reduction targets. The new route also goes through hundreds of acres of wetlands and over 200 bodies of water untouched by infrastructure projects.

This action was taken in recognition of the colonial violence and ecological destruction that is being caused by the construction of Line 3, and in honor of Earth Day. As one of the Water Protectors present said, “We take this stand today, to celebrate creation in the face of tyranny.”

Additional photos and interviews with movement leadership available upon request.

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Vancouver BC: Land and Water Protectors Lockdown Trans Mountain Pipeline Insurers’ Offices

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Cross-posted from @qtcatspictureclub on Instagram
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Land and Water Protectors Lockdown Trans Mountain Pipeline Insurers’ Offices
[Unceded Musqueam, Squamish), and Tsleil-Waututh territories, Vancouver, BC, April 14th, 2021]
What: Land and water protectors have locked down the entrances to Chubb Insurance and Liberty Mutual Insurance, two of the insurers of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project (TMX).
When: April 14th, 8:00 AM Now! Come witness the direct action currently taking place. Strict physical distancing and masks required.
Where: Chubb Insurance Company,250 Howe St AND Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, 999 W Hastings Street on Unceded x?m??k??y??m (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and S?l?ilw?ta?? (Tsleil-Waututh) territories, in so-called Vancouver, BC.
Why: We demand that Chubb and Liberty Mutual stop insuring TMX.
Indigenous and settler land and water protectors have locked down the entrances and four youth have chained themselves to two doors at two insurance companies, Chubb and Liberty Mutual, in so-called Downtown Vancouver this morning. Work is being disrupted at these companies’ offices on the same day as Liberty Mutual’s Annual Policyholder meeting to draw attention to the irreparable harm that these companies are causing by enabling Trans Mountain to force a pipeline through unceded territories without prior, informed consent.
Anishinaabe’kwe, Indigenous Elder from Turtle Island and supporter of the group, Veronica Butler says, “We are targeting Chubb and Liberty Mutual in solidarity with all Indigenous land and water defenders who persistently oppose TMX for degrading their ancestral homelands and sacred waters. Chubb and Liberty Mutual, alongside other TMX insurers like AIG, must stop insuring this genocidal project.”
Following pressure from Indigenous youth earlier this year, the federal government-owned Trans Mountain Corporation submitted a request to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) asking to protect the identities of TMX insurers. “This demonstrates that direct action works, and that these companies are fearing for their reputation and profits as the public becomes aware of their complacency in genocide.

Water Protectors Lock to Gate and Ascend Equipment to Stop Line 3

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cross-posted from the Giniw Collective

(Floodwood, MN) Early Thursday morning, several Water Protectors under Indigenous leadership took action to shut down two Enbridge construction sites on the Line 3 pipeline route. While two people locked themselves to a gate, blocking access to a worksite building a pump station, four more individuals (Sonja Birthisel, Julie Macuga, Cody Pajic, and Leif Taranta) ascended and chained themselves to the top of large machines attempting to lay pipe at an adjacent construction site in St. Louis County.

Since construction began in December of 2020, the movement to stop the Line 3 pipeline has been steadily growing. Over 200 water protectors have been arrested protesting construction, making this the largest pipeline protest since Standing Rock. Several of the people participating in this morning’s action with Camp Migizi traveled across the country to join the resistance.

Dr. Sonja Birthisel, when asked why she was willing to risk arrest to stop construction, said “As an environmental scientist, I am painfully aware that it is time to transition away from fossil fuel dependence. I am here to stand for treaty rights, and the right to a livable future.”

Line 3 is a $4 billion dollar oil pipeline currently being built across Northern Minnesota by the Canadian corporation Enbridge Energy. The project aims to replace and expand the aging and corroded original Line 3 pipeline, which carries tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada to Superior, WI. The existing Line 3 is responsible for the largest ever inland oil spill in US history, in which nearly 1.7 million barrels of crude oil spilled in Grand Rapids MN in 1991. Despite promises to bring needed income to Minnesota residents and hire 75% local workers, only a third of employees constructing the new pipeline are from Minnesota.

Construction faces active and growing resistance led by Indigenous groups who see the project and the risk of a spill as a violation of treaty rights. The pipeline threatens wild rice lakes in treaty territories where the Anishinaabe have the right to hunt, fish, and gather. Opponents also decry the project’s contribution to the epidemic of MMIWR (missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives) caused by the hundreds of temporary workers employed by the project.  Environmental groups are concerned about the pipeline’s contribution to climate change. Oil from the tar sands is the world’s most carbon-intensive fuel, and the expanded Line 3 would carry as much carbon as 50 new coal-fired power plants.

Interviews with movement leadership and photos available upon request.

 

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