16 Arrested in Clear-Out Operation On North Dakota Pipeline Protesters’ Camp

Police arrested sixteen Native Americans and other protesters in North Dakota on Thursday. It was the latest clash between police and demonstrators trying to stop construction of a disputed oil pipeline.

According to the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, the arrests occurred as police redeployed to clear a camp on private property. Authorities said the property sits in the path of the proposed $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline.

Protesters had occupied the area since Monday. Native Americans say they were the land’s lawful owners under an 1851 treaty with the U.S. government.

A footage posted on social media showed two armored vehicles and several armed police deliberately approaching one group of protesters during the skirmish. Some protesters claim that police tried to chase them out of the camp using beanbag guns.

A statement from the sheriff’s department said that deputies used pepper spray on a number of the projected 330 demonstrators.

“This is not about the pipeline. It is not about those who wish to legally protest. This is about the rule of law,” Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said in a statement.

North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple said that private property is not the place to conduct a peaceful protest. He said that police were successful in clearing the camp.

A consortium of companies headed by Energy Transfer Partners LP builds the 1,172-mile (1,885-km) pipeline. It promises to be the fastest and most direct route to carry Bakken shale oil from North Dakota to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries.

It would also be more cost-effective and safer than moving the oil by rail or road, supporters say.

However, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and environmental activists say that the pipeline endangers the sacred tribal sites and the water supply. Authorities already arrested several in their months-long protest.

No reaction from Hillary Clinton

On Thursday, members of the Native American tribe called for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to dispute the pipeline. So far, she has not assumed a public stance on the matter.

In September, the U.S. government ceased construction on part of the line. The area involved includes property under Lake Oahe. The land is a culturally significant reservoir found on the Missouri River in southern North Dakota where the line was expected to cross.

Environmental activists protested against the Keystone XL line that the Obama administration disallowed, as opposition to the pipeline construction has risen in recent years.

 

 

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Venezuela Protesters Call For Overthrow of President Maduro

CARACAS, Venezuela – Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in the streets of Venezuela’s capital, Caracas on Wednesday, shouting, “Democracy yes! Dictatorship no!” Citizens of Venezuela want to overthrow the incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, accusing the president of neglecting his job. The outcry fired up when the president’s allies stopped a recall referendum to remove the president from power.

Opposition leaders called the nationwide demonstration as “the takeover of Venezuela.” According to the Foro Penal human rights group, police detained at least 140 people and one police officer was shot and killed. Two other people were injured in central Miranda state for unknown reasons.

One of the opposition leaders, Henrique Capriles said, “Maduro has shown how scared he is that the people will express themselves”.

Last week, the electoral authorities impeded a retraction vote against Maduro. The move sparked the uproar of the Venezuelans. The conflict intensified on Tuesday when the opposition voted to put the president on trial blaming him for staging a coup.

“Neglecting his job”

Opposition leaders claimed that the president had effectively abandoned his job because of neglect. Venezuelans blame Maduro’s administration for the “country’s triple-digit inflation”, degrading economy, food, and medicine shortages.

While a violent nationwide protest raged on, a smaller group of government supporters held a rally downtown of the city, which President Maduro attended.

Correspondingly, opposition leaders ended “Wednesday’s national day of protest” to prepare for a bigger demonstration on Friday. According to activists, they will launch another protest on the presidential palace on November 3 if they continue to prevent the referendum to retract the president.

However, a ban exists on holding demonstrations in front of the presidential palace since 2002. It was the year a massive uprising occurred against the former President Hugo Chavez.

Nationwide demonstration

Police deployed tear gas in the provincial capitals which caused injuries to many. The left-wing activists broke into the protected regional electoral office in the border state of Tachira. They also spray painted anti-government slogans in the main entrance.

A viral video posted on social media shows a young man shouting in the face of a soldier wearing riot gear. In the video, he can be heard screaming, “I’m going hungry! If you’re going to shoot me because I’m hungry, shoot me,”

On the other part of Caracas, students have shown their disapproval at the administration by casually sitting on the country’s main highway. Victoria Rodriguez aged 18 and a recent high school graduate is one of the many protesters. She said that she wants to cast her first vote against Maduro because she feels like “living in an emptying country”. Out of her 25 classmates, 15 have already left since July, just after graduation.

Rodriguez said, “People are tired of going to the streets and then going home. The opposition is letting the streets go cold. They are giving the government too much time to maneuver.” Her statement conveys her disappointment to the opposition leaders for the slow progress to veto the president.

Supreme Court ruling

On Thursday, the congress expects deliberation on Maduro’s responsibility issues which caused the deteriorating political and economic crisis. However, the result will not make much of a difference. Venezuela’s National Assembly cannot impeach the president, only the Supreme Court has that power. Sadly, the institution has never voted against the president.

Both the administration and the opposition agreed to a bilateral talk to resolve the crisis. On Sunday, the Vatican and other South American governments are set to mediate the dialogue in the Caribbean island of Margarita. Maduro said he will personally travel to Margarita to commence the meeting. In lieu of the talk, the president met privately with Pope Francis on Monday.

During the previous crises, the two parties tried dialogue but the opposition had a very limited hope of winning. The administration is in full control of all the government institutions including the military, which displayed no interest in siding with the opposition.

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Ethiopia: Oromia Religious Protest Stampede Leaves 52 Dead

Dissidents staged a protest as thousands of people congregated to observe a religious festival in Bishoftu, 40km (25 miles) from the capital of Addis Ababa. The city sits in Ethiopia’s Region of Oromia. According to the local government 52 people were killed and many were wounded.

Witnesses said people started to stampede because police deployed tear gas, rubber bullets and assaulted protesters with batons.

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said a “pre-planned mayhem” caused the stampede which steered people to fall into ravines. The Prime Minister also denied any reports of police authorities shooting the protesters.

On a national TV interview, he even praised police authorities on their “great efforts” in protecting the public. In fact, he condemned “evil forces” for the deaths and pledged to bring justice to those responsible.

Conflicting accounts

Demonstrators said the protest was entirely peaceful. However, according to authorities several reports of anti-government protesters throwing stones and bottles at the police surfaced.

Jawar Mohamed, an Oromo activist said security forces killed nearly 300 people and injured many more. He also said that troops and a helicopter armed with machine guns opened fire which drove people off a cliff and into a lake.

In the recent months, public disorder coupled with dozens of deadly engagements afflicted Ethiopia. Citizens of Oromia and Amhara regions criticized the government about political and economic marginalization.

The United States conveyed their distress on the excessive use of force by the local authorities against the protesters.

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