Sam Levin in Cannon Ball, North Dakota
@SamTLevin
Saturday 11 February 2017 10.00 GMT Last modified on Saturday 11 February 2017 15.31 GMT
Army veterans return to Standing Rock to form a human shield against police
A growing group of military veterans are willing to put their bodies between Native American activists and the police trying to remove them
Jake Pogue, a 32-year-old marine corps vet, returned to the Sacred Stone camp on Friday. Photograph: Sam Levin for the Guardian
US veterans are returning to Standing Rock and pledging to shield indigenous activists from attacks by a militarized police force, another sign that the fight against the
Dakota Access pipeline is far from over.
Army veterans from across the country have arrived in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, or are currently en route after the news that
Donald Trump’s administration has allowed the
oil corporation to finish drilling across the Missouri river.
The growing group of military veterans could make it harder for police and government officials to try to remove hundreds of activists who remain camped near the construction site and, some hope, could limit use of excessive force by law enforcement during demonstrations.
“We are prepared to put our bodies between Native elders and a privatized military force,” said Elizabeth Williams, a 34-year-old air force veteran, who arrived at Standing Rock with a group of vets late on Friday. “We’ve stood in the face of fire before. We feel a responsibility to use the skills we have.”
It is unclear how many vets may arrive to Standing Rock; some organizers estimate a few dozen are on their way, while other activists are pledging that hundreds could show up in the coming weeks. An estimated 1,000 veterans traveled to Standing Rock in December just as the Obama administration announced it was
denying a key permit for the oil company, a huge victory for the tribe.
[...]
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/11/standing-rock-army-veterans-camp
The temperature is rising in wintry North Dakota. Pretty astonishing to have the veterans shield the activists. This would never work without the alternative media.