Anti-Line 3 protests have continued as the project has been given a go-ahead by Minnesota government. Last weekend, 31 more protesters were arrested after they were blocking a highway and chaining themselves to equipment on an active work site.
As reported by The Minnesota Sun, over 250 protesters were arrested in the beginning of June. The Northern Lights Task Force said in an official statement about the June protests that, “Many protesters did not abide by the law and engaged in actions that forced the hand of law enforcement and dispersal orders were given.”
Activists have been coming to protest the pipeline from across the nation, claiming that it will negatively impact the environment, despite the measures in place to protect Minnesota wildlife. They also say that the line is a violation of the rights of Native Americans and disproportionately affects their land. They write that it is harmful because the line “would carry 700,000 barrels of tar sands oil from Canada each day. It would have a climate impact on par with Keystone, and pose an existential threat to waterways like the Mississippi. It would also violate Indigenous treaty rights.”
As was reported on KSTP, last weekend there were protesters, or “water protectors” on Highway 71 and chained to machinery. After officers responded to the trespassing complaint filed by the work crews, the protesters started “spray-painting on the exposed pipe and screaming vulgarities about Enbridge, according to police. Damage was done to a company truck at the scene, and an Enbridge worker reported allegedly being attacked by several water protectors before escaping in his damaged vehicle.”
According to KSTP, another protester fled by car and tried to run over one of the officers making arrests. The driver of the vehicle was caught after a pursuit and placed under arrest.
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Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun | Star News Network and The College Fix. She graduated with a degree in Communications from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. Send news tips to [email protected].
