A group of armed militia took over the government facility at the weekend to protest against the imprisonment of two local farmers.
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Mr Bundy says, this time, they are protesting against the imminent imprisonment of the father and son ranchers. “But we don’t have a constitutional right to use force and violence and to threaten force and violence against others”.
“This is about taking the correct stand without harming anybody to restore the land and resources to the people so people across the country can begin thriving again”, he said.
The Hammonds were convicted three years ago of starting fires that burned federal land in 2001 and 2006.
A statement from the Hammonds said the two men are ready to turn themselves in and serve out their longer prison terms.
Bundy is referring to Dwight and Steve Hammond. He said that if any violence takes place at the standoff, it will come because of an overzealous government reaction.
He is asking people to stay away from the wildlife refuge for their own safety.
As reported by The Salt Lake Tribune in September 2012, LDS Apostle Dallin H. Oaks cautioned members of the church during a regional broadcast against joining or supporting potential “right-wing groups who mistakenly apply prophecies about the last days to promote efforts to form paramilitary or other organizations”.
A lawyer for the Hammonds sought to distance his clients from Bundy and his armed band, saying they did not speak for the family. “It’s a time to stand up and come to Harney County”, where Burns is located. NPR has not independently verified Bundy’s version of the events.
No employees were inside the building when protesters broke in, officials said.
“Why are we calling the #YallQaeda group in #Oregon “militia” and not “terrorists?”
The decision to send the men back to prison generated an outcry and plays into a decades-long dispute between some Westerners and the federal government over the use of public lands.
Dwight and Steven Hammond were found guilty in 2012 of setting a series of fires to public land.
“It’s in the middle of nowhere”, said the official, who is based in Washington, DC, and has knowledge of the planned response to the militia. They allowed some news reporters through for interviews with members of the Bundy family. “They said (the group) had promised to be peaceful and this sort of violates that promise to the community”.
Up to this point, the police presence has been light.
Beth Anne Steele, an Federal Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman in Portland, told The Associated Press the agency was aware of the situation at the national wildlife refuge.
In the most recent flashpoint for anti-government sentiment, armed protesters, who authorities say are coming from outside the area, took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge south of Burns, Ore., on Saturday.
The group says it acted to protest prison sentences given to two cattle farmers.
“When you have a big win like they did at the Bundy ranch, it emboldens people….”
“I don’t like the militia’s methods”, local resident Monica McCannon told KTVZ. Today the local sheriff let them know he has another idea: “Go home”. “We are working to resolve this peacefully”.
We requested this additional support to make sure the citizens of Harney County are safe.
“We will be here as long as it takes”, Ammon Bundy said.
“We should fix it”, he said.
But others were quick to hit back with their own accusations of double standards.
The Bundys drew national attention in 2014 for refusing to pay the federal government more than $1 million in grazing fees.
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Peaceful protests in OR have turned into an armed takeover of federal property. “There is absolutely no armed standoff”, she wrote.
