APTN National News
Dramatic images emerged from a state highway in North Dakota as riot-gear clad police and national guard soldiers, backed up by armoured personnel carriers, helicopters and sound cannons moved on a Native American led protest against the construction of a pipeline.
APTN reporter Dennis Ward, who is at the scene, reported police began to arrest demonstrators in the late afternoon.
Livestreamed video showed police lines moving into one of the demonstrator’s camp which was used as a launching point for rolling highway blockades. The camp was set up to stop the construction of the pipeline through the territory. The video also captured police firing beanbags at demonstrators and spraying others with pepper spray.
Police officers, from what appeared to be several states, moved against the demonstrators who had been rolling blockades on Hwy 1806 in an attempt to stop construction of the North Dakota Access Pipeline.
At one point demonstrators set bales of hay and tires on fire as a line of police moved toward the blockade positions. A voice from the police lines could be heard over livestreamed video telling demonstrators to move back.
Close-up images of the police line showed officers wearing shield masks, carrying batons, pepper spray canisters and duct tape.
Demonstrators facing the police line could be heard whooping and cheering.
“This is our land!” said one demonstrator, on one of the livestreams of the situation. “The world is watching.”
At one point, a demonstrator started signing the Star Spangled Banner, the U.S. national anthem.
Another demonstrator shouted, “Genocide.”
Dennis Ward reported the women elders involved in the demonstration were urging the front line of the protest to fall back and protect their camp.
The Morton County Sheriff’s Department issued a warning Wednesday it had the equipment and numbers to end the ongoing demonstrations.
-More to come
Live video can be seen here: www.facebook.com/APTNNationalNews/
More to come …
its not their land, its private property and they were trespassing… “the world is watching…… people break the law and get served” what idiots.
Yet the whole world thinks that the protesters are the victims, when they are just loitering on private property and causing unrest with locals.
Why did they completely disregard all of the legal ways to stop the pipline when it was being drafted up? Why were the Sioux the only ones to refuse to work with the companies and draft up a plan that may work for everyone? Why did they just refuse to cooperate all together?
The media and everyone following the mob mentality behind this NODAPL false victimization is incredibly depressing, knowing how ignorant of facts the entire process is.
Just like in Syria to promote an oil pipeline the Saudis want through Syria to Turkey. These servants of the elite corporations will do ANYTHING to push BIG-OIL. What are lives and health to them, much less tribal sovereignty? NOTHING.
Yes, it has nothing to do with criminal trespassing on private property and threatening people with guns and violence at a non-violent protest.
Nothing to do with that at all, most definitely.
clueless.