Wadena, MN: Three Water Protectors Lock Inside Line 3 Pipeline Segment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 16, 2021
Contact: giniw@protonmail.com
(Wadena, MN) Tuesday morning, 3 water protectors locked to one another inside of a Line 3 pipeline segment near the Crow Wing River while dozens more rallied in support.
As water protectors sang and danced for the river, those locked inside the pipe lifted up the struggle of Indigenous peoples and the voices of future generations not yet born.
The location is near the proposed crossing by Line 3 through the Crow Wing River, one of the frozen rivers Enbridge applied to drill under and was denied.
Multiple tribally-led lawsuits are yet to be heard as Enbridge works non-stop to bulldoze Line 3 through Anishinaabe territory and the hundreds of wetlands and water bodies that lie in its path. The route is through an area untouched by tar sands infrastructure, as Enbridge plans to build a new corridor for its lines.
Ariee Shaw said, “There are two sides in this fight against Line 3. Those protecting water, land, food, and Indigenous sovereignty. And those protecting corporate greed and earth’s destruction. I’m locking down today because I know what side I’m on.”
Jack Keenan said, “I am locking down in solidarity with the Anishinaabe, the Wet’suwet’en, and all people whose survival is threatened by so-called “critical infrastructure.” To risk the health of waterways and wild rice beds in service of fossil fuel extraction is insanity; to disregard the lives and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples is genocide, plain and simple.”
Rae said, “My name is Rae. I am in northern “MN” fighting the Line 3 pipeline. When I am not here, I am a student at Macalester College. I have taken classes on white supremacy, colonization, and capitalism at Macalester. It markets itself as a place engaged with social justice yet is invested directly in the financial industries behind Enbridge’s Line 3. As we put our bodies on the line, Macalester’s hypocrisy is palpable. Macalester produces performative allyship. The only tangible way I have found to actively engage in anti-colonial work is by distancing myself from capitalism, following Indigenous wisdom of Giniw Collective, and engaging in direct action to Stop Line 3.”
Felix said, “Line 3 is carving a path of death and destruction to sacred water, ecosystems, relationships, and the Indigenous people who steward these lands. It affect all of us — anyone who drinks water. We must protect the land, honor the treaties, and stop Line 3. Extractive industries serve the white man’s greed and have no accountability to the wild and sacred. To this — we say no more. We all have a role in this fight. So find yours, be in solidarity with each other, especially with Indigenous land and Water Protectors.”

Canadian Police Arrest 24 Resisting Kinder Morgan Pipeline on Burnaby Mountain

burnabyRCMP arrests 24 on Burnaby Mountain
Caretakers call for ongoing solidarity presence, say “This pipeline will not be built”

VANCOUVER – RCMP have arrested at least 24 Burnaby Mountain caretakers and supporters today, as police moved in to remove a long-standing protest presence against Kinder Morgan’s pipeline survey crews.

Arrests include
– Sut-lut, a S?wx?ú7mesh elder who started the sacred fire onsite
– Kaleb Morrison and Erin Flegg who have been at the site for months
– Adam Gold, a named defendant in Kinder Morgan’s injunction and civil law suit
– A tree sitter who has been camped out on top of Borehole 1 drill site
– Tamo Campos, David Suziki’s grandson who has been supporting the site for weeks.

Fourteen of those arrested have been released on civil contempt charges, the other ten remain in-custody.

Kinder Morgan crews, escorted by RCMP, are currently at the clearing and have begun work. The Burnaby Mountain caretakers are calling for an ongoing presence at the mountain, as well at the RCMP detachment at 6355 Deer Lake Avenue.

“We are sending a clear message that the pipeline will not be built on unceded lands without the consent of Indigenous nations and the approval of all those who love these lands,” the group gathered has declared.

For photos and updates on the situation: https://www.facebook.com/burnabymountain