13-02-17, 19:29
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#10
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re: TRUMP's Crazy Decisions= He Could Be Removed From Office >Clause in Constitution
US Army Veterans Return to Standing Rock to Form a Human Shield Against Police
A growing group of military veterans are willing to put their bodies between Native American activists and the police trying to remove them.
'We’ve stood in the face of fire before. We feel a responsibility to use the skills we have'
The Independent UK, 13 February 2017
Clashes with police turned violent in December, when around 1,000 veterans formed a human shield between police and 'water protector' protesters Getty Images
US army veterans are returning to Standing Rock to protect Dakota Access pipeline protesters amid violent clashes with the police.
Native American activists are camped near the construction site and some hope the veterans could make it harder for police to remove them.
“We are prepared to put our bodies between Native elders and a privatised military force,” air force veteran Elizabeth Williams told The Guardian.
“We’ve stood in the face of fire before. We feel a responsibility to use the skills we have.”
Police used water hoses and tear gas, and one canister badly damaged the arm of a female protester.
Hundreds of people were arrested.
Native American protesters vowed they would not back down after Trump signed his executive order, overturning decisions made by Barack Obama to halt the construction of the pipeline.
It is opposed by a Native American tribe fearful of water contamination from potential oil leaks.
So far, military veteran organisation Veterans Stand has raised more then $200,000 for a renewed campaign effort against the controversial oil pipeline.
The group will use the money to send supplies to the reservation to help protesters and those who will be affected by the construction of the $3.7bn pipeline.
The growing group of military veterans could make it harder for police and government officials to try to remove hundreds of activists who remain camped near the construction site and, some hope, could limit use of excessive force by law enforcement during demonstrations.
“We are prepared to put our bodies between Native elders and a privatized military force,” said Elizabeth Williams, a 34-year-old air force veteran, who arrived at Standing Rock with a group of vets late on Friday. “We’ve stood in the face of fire before. We feel a responsibility to use the skills we have.”
It is unclear how many vets may arrive to Standing Rock; some organizers estimate a few dozen are on their way, while other activists are pledging that hundreds more could show up in the coming weeks.
Demonstrators also plan to assemble near Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate to protest his decision.
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