DoomsdaysCW<p>Witness: Most tribal nations at <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DakotaAccessPipeline" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>DakotaAccessPipeline</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/protest" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>protest</span></a> ‘didn’t know who <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Greenpeace" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Greenpeace</span></a> was’ </p><p>By: Mary Steurer - March 3, 2025 </p><p>"A <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Lakota" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Lakota</span></a> organizer said in a video deposition played to jurors Monday that the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandingRockSiouxTribe" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>StandingRockSiouxTribe</span></a> led the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, not Greenpeace.</p><p>"<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NickTilsen" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NickTilsen</span></a>, an Oglala Sioux Tribe citizen and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/activist" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>activist</span></a>, called the notion that Greenpeace orchestrated the protests 'paternalistic.'</p><p>"'I think that people underestimate the complexity and the sophistication of tribal nations,' Tilsen said.</p><p>"Tilsen’s deposition was the latest testimony heard by the nine-person jury in the marathon trial between pipeline developer Energy Transfer and Greenpeace.<br /> <br />"<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnergyTransfer" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>EnergyTransfer</span></a> claims Greenpeace secretly aided and abetted destructive and violent behavior by protesters during the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/demonstrations" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>demonstrations</span></a>, which took place in south central <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NorthDakota" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NorthDakota</span></a> near the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandingRockReservation" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>StandingRockReservation</span></a> in 2016 and 2017. It also claims that Greenpeace orchestrated a misinformation campaign to defame the company, leading a group of banks to back out of financing the project. Energy Transfer seeks roughly $300 million from the environmental organization.</p><p>"Greenpeace denies Energy Transfer’s allegations. The group says it has never condoned violence, and only played a supporting role during the protests.</p><p>"Tilsen said he got involved in the protests before Greenpeace. He was invited to join the cause by former Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault and his sister, Jodi Archambault, he said.</p><p>"'They called me and said, ‘Hey, we need your help at Standing Rock,’ Tilsen said.</p><p>"Standing Rock has long opposed the Dakota Access Pipeline, stating the project poses a pollution threat, infringes on tribal sovereignty and has disrupted sacred cultural sites.</p><p>"It was Standing Rock leadership that laid the groundwork for the protests against the pipeline’s construction in 2016, Tilsen said.</p><p>"He said organizers later invited Greenpeace to support the camps, including by providing supplies and nonviolent direct action training. Tilsen said he only felt comfortable reaching out to Greenpeace because a friend of his, Cy Wagoner, worked there.</p><p>"He said since Wagoner is from the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NavajoNation" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NavajoNation</span></a>, he trusted that Greenpeace would respect Standing Rock’s leadership of the camps.</p><p>"Indigenous communities are often reluctant to invite outside nonprofits to help with Native rights issues, Tilsen added. He said they often don’t understand Native nations’ unique relationship with the U.S. government.</p><p>"Greenpeace wasn’t a big part of the protests, Tilsen said.</p><p>"'To be honest, most of the tribal nations didn’t know who Greenpeace was,' he said.</p><p>"Countless other groups — including representatives from more than 300 Native nations — came to the protest camps in solidarity with Standing Rock, said Tilsen.</p><p>"'Quite frankly, our list of allies was hundreds,' he said.</p><p>"Tilsen said he was involved in several protest actions against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016 and 2017, including those that involved marching on the pipeline easement, jumping in front of equipment and using lockboxes — also known as 'sleeping dragons' — to disable construction machinery.</p><p>"None of the protest actions were coordinated by Greenpeace, he said.</p><p>"Tilsen said he never saw or endorsed any destruction of property or acts of violence toward construction workers or law enforcement. He also pushed back on the assertion that any of the protest activities he participated in qualified as trespassing. </p><p>"The pipeline passes through land recognized as belonging to the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SiouxNation" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SiouxNation</span></a> under <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/treaties" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>treaties</span></a> signed by the U.S. government in 1851 and 1868. The U.S. government later annexed that land in violation of those treaties.</p><p>"Tilsen asked how Lakota citizens could be trespassing on land that was unlawfully taken from them. </p><p>"'This is the conundrum we find ourselves in,' he said.</p><p>"Employees of Greenpeace said during video depositions played last week that the environmental organization brought 20 to 30 lockboxes to the camps.</p><p>"Tilsen said while he saw many lockboxes during protests, he wasn’t sure where any of them came from. He also said he never heard anyone from Greenpeace tell demonstrators to use the devices.</p><p>"Tilsen said that David Khoury, an employee for Greenpeace, helped identify potential sites for protest actions. Tilsen added that while Wagoner — another Greenpeace employee — didn’t plan protest activities, he trained people on how to conduct them.</p><p>"The trial, which is before Southwest Central Judicial District Judge James Gion, is expected to last roughly four more weeks."</p><p>Source:<br /><a href="https://northdakotamonitor.com/2025/03/03/witness-most-tribal-nations-at-dakota-access-pipeline-protest-didnt-know-who-greenpeace-was/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">northdakotamonitor.com/2025/03</span><span class="invisible">/03/witness-most-tribal-nations-at-dakota-access-pipeline-protest-didnt-know-who-greenpeace-was/</span></a><br /><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandWithStandingRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>StandWithStandingRock</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>WaterIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDAPL" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NoDAPL</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KelcyWarren" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>KelcyWarren</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Trump</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BigOil" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>BigOil</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CorporateColonialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BigOilAndGas" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>BigOilAndGas</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalRacism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>EnvironmentalRacism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandingRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>StandingRock</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SLAPPs" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SLAPPs</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDAPL" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NoDAPL</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>WaterIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SLAPPsLawsuits" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SLAPPsLawsuits</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SilencingDissent" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SilencingDissent</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ACAB" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ACAB</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnergyTransfer" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>EnergyTransfer</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/UnicornRiot" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>UnicornRiot</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CriminalizingDissent" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CriminalizingDissent</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ACAB" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ACAB</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Blackwater" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Blackwater</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ErikPrince" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ErikPrince</span></a></p>
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#nicktilsen
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DoomsdaysCW<p>So, this article outlines what the nominee for director of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HomelandSecurity" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>HomelandSecurity</span></a> has planned for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SilencingDissent" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SilencingDissent</span></a> in the US...</p><p>From 2019: South Dakota Governor <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KristiNoem" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>KristiNoem</span></a> Caves on Attempted Efforts to Silence <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PipelineProtesters" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>PipelineProtesters</span></a> </p><p>ACLU, October 24, 2019</p><p>"South Dakota’s governor and attorney general today backed down from their unconstitutional attempts to silence pipeline protestors. In response to a lawsuit we filed alongside the ACLU of South Dakota and the Robins Kaplan law firm, the state has agreed to never enforce the unconstitutional provisions of several state laws that threatened activists who encourage or organize protests, particularly protests of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KeystoneXL" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>KeystoneXL</span></a> [<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KXL" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>KXL</span></a>] pipeline, with fines and criminal penalties of up to 25 years in prison.</p><p>"The settlement agreement reached today and now headed to the court for approval is an important victory for the right to protest. It comes soon after a federal court temporarily blocked enforcement of the pieces of the laws that infringed on First Amendment protected speech, and makes the court’s temporary block a permanent one.</p><p>"The laws include the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RiotBoostingAct" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>RiotBoostingAct</span></a>, which gave the state the authority to sue individuals and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/organizations" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>organizations</span></a> for 'riot boosting,' a novel and confusing term. The court warned against the laws’ broad reach, noting that the laws could have prohibited:</p><p>- Sending a supporting email or a letter to the editor in support of a protest<br />- Giving a cup of coffee or thumbs up or $10 to protesters<br />- Holding up a sign in protest on a street corner<br />- Asking someone to protest</p><p>"Under the First Amendment, that is impermissible.</p><p>"The court rightly recognized the stakes of this case. And it put these <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AntiProtest" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>AntiProtest</span></a> efforts in perspective, asking 'if these riot boosting statutes were applied to the protests that took place in Birmingham, Alabama, what might be the result?' The answer: 'Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference could have been liable under an identical riot boosting law[.]'</p><p>"Indeed, South Dakota’s unconstitutional anti-protest efforts echoed the suppression of past social movements. From the start, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem called on 'shut[ting] down' 'out-of-state people' who come into South Dakota to 'slow and stop construction' of the pipeline. Her harmful calls were reminiscent of government attempts throughout our history to delegitimize and minimize significant <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SocialMovements" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SocialMovements</span></a> as the work of 'outside agitators,' including Reverend <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MartinLutherKingJr" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>MartinLutherKingJr</span></a>.</p><p>"South Dakota’s quick and costly retreat (they’ll have to compensate plaintiffs for attorney’s fees under the settlement agreement) should serve as a lesson for other legislatures considering similar efforts to silence dissent.</p><p>"In the last few years, we have witnessed a legislative trend of states seeking to criminalize protest, deter political participation, and curtail freedom of association. These bills appear to be a direct reaction from politicians and corporations to some of the most effective tactics of those speaking out today, including water protectors challenging pipeline construction, Black Lives Matter, and those calling for boycotts of Israel. These legislative moves are aimed at suppressing dissent and undercutting marginalized and over-policed groups voicing concerns that disrupt current power dynamics.</p><p>"But the First Amendment guarantees people the right to voice their opposition. This includes our clients — four organizations (the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SierraClub" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SierraClub</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NDNCollective" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NDNCollective</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DakotaRuralAction" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>DakotaRuralAction</span></a>, and the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndigenousEnvironmentalNetwork" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>IndigenousEnvironmentalNetwork</span></a> - <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IEN" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>IEN</span></a>) and two individuals (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NickTilsen" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NickTilsen</span></a> with NDN Collective and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DallasGoldtooth" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>DallasGoldtooth</span></a> with Indigenous Environmental Network) — all of whom are protesting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and encouraging others to do the same.</p><p>"Construction of the Keystone XL pipeline may be imminent. Pre-construction activities resumed this month, and a hearing on the new Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the pipeline, which will serve as the basis for approval of any future permits, is coming up next Monday.</p><p>"With the laws we challenged proclaimed unenforceable, protesters and protectors no longer have to worry about incarceration or fines as they protest against the construction. That is, at a minimum, how democracy should work."</p><p><a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/south-dakota-governor-caves-on-attempted-efforts-to-silence-pipeline-protesters" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">aclu.org/news/free-speech/sout</span><span class="invisible">h-dakota-governor-caves-on-attempted-efforts-to-silence-pipeline-protesters</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterProtectors" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>WaterProtectors</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CriminalizingDissent" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CriminalizingDissent</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BigOilAndGas" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>BigOilAndGas</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CorporateColonialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Fascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Fascism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DefendTheSacred" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>DefendTheSacred</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndigenousActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>IndigenousActivists</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandWithStandingRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>StandWithStandingRock</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FirstAmendment" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FirstAmendment</span></a></p>
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