In breaking news, correspondent Jihan Hafiz says police are shooting live ammunition at horses and horse riders

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Story Transcript

JAISAL NOOR, TRNN: Police in North Dakota began clearing Native American environmental resistance from an encampment near an oil pipeline construction site on Thursday in a move that can escalate tensions in a standoff that has lasted several months.

In breaking news, Unicorn Riot, an independent media company has tweeted that officers are beating protestors with batons and have assaulted Unicorn Riot reporters. The police say they are defending private property near the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline near the town of Cannon Ball. But the tribal resistance notes their land was taken in violation of the treatise negotiated in the 19th century. The Morton County Sheriff said in a statement said protestors “escalated unlawful behavior this weekend by setting up illegal road blocks, trespassing on private property and establishing an encampment that has forced law enforcement to respond at this time.”

The nearly 1200-mile pipeline, which is being built by a group of companies led by Energy Transfer Partners, would offer the fastest and most direct route to bring bakken shale from North Dakota to the US Gulf. Supporters say it would be safer and more cost effective than transporting the oil by rotor rail. But the pipeline has drawn the ire of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and environmental activists who say it threatens the water supply and historical tribal sacred sites.

They have been resisting for several months. Hundreds have been arrested including several journalists who face decades in prison. Dallas Goldtooth posted this video to his Facebook feed.

DALLAS GOLDTOOTH: Numerous helicopters flying overhead, we have National Guard members here on site. We have law enforcement, moving through using Humvees, there’s armored vehicles up front. The armored vehicles have these sound canons on top that emit this high piercing-like painful noise. And it’s a part of them to control crowds. So they were using those for the first couple of hours to push people back. Its so painful that we have to use, we had to get earplugs. And still, even with earplugs, they were, its extremely painful.

So, I came up here, stepped out of the action space, so I can come and give you an update cause I know a lot of people are watching across the world. If you can, contact the Governor of North Dakota, just to demand that he scale back on at least the transgressions of police officers in this space. To pull back the police force that’s here. We’re asking to contact the White House. President Obama, folks may not know this, but the President has the executive power to stop this pipeline, he has everything in their power to stop this pipeline. The Army Corps of Engineers even in the Omaha office has the power to stop this pipeline. They have the power to revoke the permit for the pipeline to cross the river.

They have the power, right now, if they wanted to, to order a full environmental impact statement, which would halt this pipeline for 1 to 2 years. And that’s a great thing because the name of the game is death by delay. The longer we delay this project the more financial risk this pipeline becomes to the financiers, the backers of this. So much love to all our relatives all across the planet, who are supporting this struggle to protect the water. Water is life and that’s why we’re here. It’s a great struggle for us to protect Mother Earth. This pipeline is not just gonna impact the water here, its not just gonna impact the land here, in the event of an oil spill. But also its gonna create greater struggle and greater escalation of average global temperature across the planet. Its gonna contribute to climate change and that’s the greater struggle.

So, I’m gonna turn this around. Here. It looks like police officers have moved into the camp. They’ve swept the camp over into this space here. There are a number of water protectors from this camp who were fully expecting that they were gonna be arrested, so they have locked down. They’re holding arms, they’ve created a prayer circle. And they expected to be, they are planning on being arrested. There’re well over 2000 people over here right now. We’re asking for other folks to come, come stand in support. And much love to everybody.

NOOR: Go to TheRealNews.com for all of our coverage of the ongoing resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

End

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recording of the program. TRNN cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.