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25 January, 2017

Trump revives indigenous protest against oil pipelines

Construction endangers the environment and the life of the Sioux people.

Foto: Robyn Beck/AFP

US President Donald Trump signedon Tuesday  two decrees authorizing the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access (DAPL) pipelines.

In 2015 President Obama rejected a proposal by a Canadian company to build the Keystone XL pipeline which will transport 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

The North Dakota pipeline became a fighting stronghold for the United States natives, after the Sioux people, who live in the Standing Rock reservation, denounce that the construction  will endanger their water supply and sacred places. Protesters were join by thousands of indigenous organizations, environmental groups and artists and a wave of criticism that was generated through social networks under the hashtags #NoDAPL and #StandWithStandingRock. Finally, last November, the government of the United States of America suspend the construction of the pipeline.

Both measures became a symbol of the Obama administration’s commitment to environmental protection and the fight to stop the action of climate change, a legacy Trump apparently wants to erase with this new measure, claiming that the decision “will put to work again many workers of the metallurgical sector “.

Following the announcement, hundreds of people staged a rally outside the White House in Washington. Meanwhile, new demonstrations are being organized for the following weeks. Organizations are using social networks to join the protest.  From Peru, CHIRAPAQ also joined these voices and reiterates its commitment in supporting the future actions that the indigenous movement will adopt to face a Trump.

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