The resistance movement to the Dakota Access Pipeline continues to galvanize Indigenous peoples across the globe. These past weeks have seen a remarkable and highly-destructive escalation of violence on part of the state.
In a press statement released Nov. 28, BC Regional Chief Shane Gottfriedson said “The limited mainstream media coverage of this watershed moment in our shared history is alarming. The violence must stop. I call upon our provincial and federal leaders to speak up about this atrocity and degradation of Indigenous and human rights.”
The safety of the principled resistors to the Dakota Access Pipeline, known as the water protectors, is currently under serious threat. The stories and images that are seen are disturbing, said the chief.
The water protectors,a group comprised of Indigenous leaders, elders, youth, and communities, activists, allies, and concerned citizens, collectively possess a constitutional guarantee to their right of peaceful assembly, said Gottfriedson.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples reads States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with Indigenous peoples in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories, particularly where it may affect water. The Declaration also guarantees the right to security of person and the right to not be subjected to acts of violence or the destruction of Indigenous culture.
Gottfriedson said “This type of thinking and approach, which values corporate rights over human beings, will continue to be challenged in order to protect our water, lands, and the spiritual sites sacred to Indigenous peoples across our traditional territories.”
Standing Rock Tribal Chairman David Archambault II has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene to protect protesters against the strong-arm tactics, abuses, and unlawful arrests that are escalating.
Regional Chief Gottfriedson concluded, “We need to stand together for the future generations. Our youth have a right to know who they are, where they come from, and a right to the preservation of our cultures and traditions.
“We have a moral duty to stand with Standing Rock as the future generations of our people can only learn these things through the connection to our lands and our history.”
