The Green Party candidate for president has been charged with criminal trespass after being accused of vandalism at an oil pipeline protest in North Dakota.
Advertisement
It didn’t take long for Stein to respond to the incident on her Twitter account: “State of ND may charge me with vandalism”. The office also says it has video of the event.
The bulldozer now has the phrase “I approve this message” emblazoned in red across its blade.
A spokesperson for the Dallas pipeline company told the AP that violence first began when protesters breached a fenced security perimeter and “attacked” the construction crew on the site.
Native American protestors are confronted by security during a demonstration against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), near Cannon Ball, North Dakota.
Activists at the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation invited the Green Party ticket to leave a message at the protest site. “I join with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and the many tribal nations fighting this unsafe pipeline”.
Stein and Baraka’s actions are part of a widening protest against the construction of a 1200 mile pipeline created to carry oil from the Bakken to IL. She described herself as “someone who’s been here with you on the frontlines” and joined a scattered “Where’s Obama?” chant.
Over the weekend, the protests turned violent as private security guards clashed with demonstrators.
Stein has publicly opposed the pipeline in the past and Tuesday tweeted that the issue represents a “human-rights crisis”. In recent days, private security forces have been using attack dogs to clear protesters.
“We are preparing and planning for all scenarios that may occur in response to the federal court ruling”, the Morton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, which didn’t detail how many officers were being added or what their plan is should the ruling allow construction to continue.
Advertisement
Stein stressed, “Our campaign supports the courageous Indigenous leaders who are taking a stand to protect future generations from the deadly greed of the fossil fuel industry”.
