More have continued to gather in protest against the new Line 3 pipeline construction in Northern Minnesota as activists urge resistance to a Canadian-based company’s plan to replace an aging pipeline that carries crude oil from Alberta to Wisconsin.
The demonstrations gained the attention of actress Jane Fonda, who made her way to Minnesota to support tribal groups and others who oppose the project.
"All of us, all of us that are alive right now are alive at a moment in human history when everything can change and now we have a chance to take the right path, the green, just, right, fair, healthy, safe, dignified path," Fonda said. 'So let's do it."
The protests began on Saturday and have continued to grow as the weekend progressed.
Following the break in construction due to weather, Enbridge has been able to restart construction on the pipeline. Enbridge has said that it plans to be done with the project by the end of the year as long as the Minnesota Court of Appeals does not block the project.
It appears that authorities are attempting to break up groups of indigenous people protesting Line 3 by flying a helicopter low to the ground, causing dirt to fly into the air.
Protestors are calling for President Joe Biden to stop the construction of the crude oil pipeline and honor treaties set with Native American tribes.
Several organizations are currently livestreaming the protests online.
Opponents have said they will do whatever it takes to block completion of the project, including risk being arrested.
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has gone on record to say he didn’t plan to deploy the National Guard against protesters, saying he doesn’t expect them to “interfere with lawful construction or lawful practices.”
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The AP reported that speakers urged demonstrators to pressure the Biden administration. More than 300 groups delivered a letter to President Joe Biden last month calling on him to direct the Army Corps of Engineers to suspend or revoke Enbridge’s federal clean water permit for the project. They urged Biden to follow the example he set on the first day of his administration, when he canceled the disputed Keystone XL pipeline, citing worries about climate change.
Biden has not taken a stand on Line 3, while Walz says he is letting the legal process play out.