About twenty people took action to defend the Earth from the clear-cutting that is making way for the final phase of Line 3 construction. Read the full report below.
CASS COUNTY, MN — 20 water protectors held a rally today at a logging site where workers had been patch clear cutting trees along the proposed route of Line 3, the proposed tar sands pipeline expansion owned by Canadian company Enbridge Energy. At 1PM, water protectors from across Minnesota, including organizers with Northfield Against Line 3, rallied for over an hour among large logging equipment and felled trees, chanting “Honor the Treaties!” and “Stop Line 3” before they left the site.
“We are here to send the message loud and clear: Line 3 will not be built! All pipelines spill, and Enbridge has deliberately misled the public. We need real climate solutions, and they must be rooted in honoring Indigenous sovereignty,” said Elizabeth (a pseudonym), one of the water protectors involved in the rally.
This afternoon’s acts of civilian oversight build off of a decade of growing opposition to the proposed Line 3 pipeline, which would transport 760,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day from Alberta, Canada to the western shore of Lake Superior. Despite facing significant delays in court, the company has allowed to begin what it calls “pre-construction,” making today’s intervention a necessary step in enforcing transparency along the proposed corridor. Line 3’s proposed route puts sensitive ecosystems at risk, including 15 watersheds and 215 lakes, and its associated carbon emissions would further destabilize the global climate. Enbridge is still waiting for the verdict on their 401 water quality permit, a crucial oversight from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Today’s action highlights acts of patch clear cutting in a ecologically vulnerable area that directly abuts the proposed Line 3 expansion route. This logging of birch and pine trees is part of a legacy of abuse upon the land and the land’s original inhabitants by logging companies and the state government who bought the land cheaply, making way for decades of violent extraction. While the profits from rotating timber permits are supposed to support township services, the logging occurred in 1855 Treaty Territory, violating the rights of the Anishinaabe people to fish, hunt and gather, and make free, prior and informed decisions regarding any project.
“We must end the perpetuation of settler colonialism and cycle of mindless extraction. We’re here fighting for a livable future for all, because another world is not only necessary, but possible,” said Emerson (a pseudonym), another water protector involved in the action.
Buoyed by the actions of several groups opposing Line 3 in so-called Minnesota and beyond, today’s successful rally will no doubt continue to galvanize the wider movement to stop all fossil fuel projects, especially tar sands extraction, and demand climate justice. Activists came to observe and protest nearby logging to raise awareness of the devastating possibilities of business as usual.
A call was made for actions in defense of territory and mother Earth, in memory of Samir Flores who was murdered by the state of Mexico one year earlier. Joining countless actions around the world, the Consulate of Mexico in so-called Minnesota was vandalized. The communique draws parallels between the struggles against megaprojects, like the one Samir fought against, and the struggle to stop Line 3. You can read it below.
On February 20th, to honor Samir Flores’ legacy, his name was painted on the front of the Mexican Consulate in Minnesota. Samir lived and died defending the land against the extractive projects of capitalism; an inspiring loyalty to the Earth.
Across this territory too, people have and continue to struggle for life against similar projects. The fight to stop Line 3 and the fights against megaprojects in the territory often known as Mexico are intertwined. They are one fight: a fight for life.
A book club has formed in Minneapolis, meeting regularly to discuss texts from our bibliography on settler colonialism in the midwest. To join, get in touch with the group by email:
settlercolonialismbookclub [at] riseup.net
The next session will be on February 22nd, at Hosmer Library.
This week, the Giniw collective demonstrated outside the Canadian consulate in solidarity with the indigenous land defenders being invaded by the RCMP.
Resistance showed up at the Canadian consulate today in Dakota territory, with sweet grass, prayers, and a message from our relatives up north facing oppression, suppression, and ongoing genocide. The consulate called the cops before they answered the doorbell. Sitting behind glass, with three armed officers, they said just one of us could come in.
The indigenous sisters here refused to split up, as that is what these corporate colonial forces do — they divide us to get what they want.
We stand strong with #Wetsuweten. We stand strong with the indigenous youth throwing down across Turtle Island. Follow their stand for what is right: @gidimten_checkpoint
First of all, we must again express our tremendous gratitude and solidarity with those who took action in support of the struggle to stop Line 3 for the January 17th day of action. A diverse range of actions took place in several cities around Turtle Island, and even more connections were made.
However, we know that the struggle to stop Line 3 will not take place on single days. This is a long-term struggle, and still only a single manifestation of the planetary desire to imagine forms of living not ruled by colonialism and capitalism. With this in mind, we present the following guide as an invitation to join us in this process.
Whether you acted alone, with a couple friends, with an established crew or organization, or didn’t get the chance to at all, we will sketch out just a few possibilities for what long-term engagement could look like.
• Do people in your region know what Line 3 is and that there are people attempting to stop it? All too often, the answer is no. Anyone can help change that by putting on “info-night” events to inform others about what’s going on. The more people who feel informed about and invested in stopping Line 3, the more possibilities open up to stop it. You can use our Introduction to Stop Line 3 page to present with!
• Fundraising is another crucial activity. Money helps water protectors obtain supplies, and defend themselves in court if need be. Putting on benefit events can be a great way of raising money for projects and struggles. Some examples of events you could organize to raise money at are info-nights, film screenings, concerts, parties, or even tattoo flash days. Here are some video recommendations for film screenings. We have provided a brief list of places to send donations to here.
• We have also assembled a reading list on settler colonialism, which can be studied amongst yourselves or used for public discussions.
• We have designed handouts and posters, with text adapted from our original call, to distribute as you see fit.
• Are there struggles against extractive projects in your region? Articulating clearly why it is connected to Line 3 can be a vital contribution to the entanglement of our struggles; building the bridges we cross to encounter one another.
• And of course, be on the lookout for future calls to action. Even if you were unable to take action for January 17th, you can begin preparing for the next call, or act whenever is best for you. You can always find the list of companies involved in funding or building the pipeline here.
This list is simply a list of suggestions, and we wish for those who take up this invitation to use their own creativity and inventiveness to figure out what works and what doesn’t. We want to build a life not ruled by colonialism and capitalism—there are no blueprints for how to do this. Anything that elaborates our strength and heterogeneity is worth doing.
A message of gratitude to everyone who participated in any sort of action against Line 3 this past weekend! We received word of close to a dozen actions across 6 different states, ranging from banner drops to graffiti to rallies to a reading group, and many took to social media to echo the call to #StopLine3, including a surprising amount who had never heard of Line 3, confirming the need for even more inspiring acts of propaganda and subversion in the future. Clearly these are still small steps towards the defeat of this pipeline and the creation of a world beyond colonialism and extraction, but by beginning in the here and now, from our own lives and experiences of the violence of this system, we build momentum towards something truly different. Solidarity to everyone fighting extraction projects across the world, especially the truly inspiring actions seen north of the border in support of the Wet’suwet’en. Stay tuned for further ways to participate in the struggle to stop Line 3.
Chicago, IL: Graffiti spray painted around the city.
Eugene, OR: Graffiti slogans spray painted.
Evansville, IN: Banner hung at the Ohio riverfront. The banner was hung adjacent to Vectren headquarters, an energy company whose subsidiaries are involved in Line 3 construction.
Lansing, MI: Banner hung at the state capital building.
Minneapolis, MN: First meeting of a decolonization reading group, discussing Vine Deloria Jr.’s Behind the Trail of Broken Treaties.
Minneapolis, MN: In near-whiteout conditions, dozens rally in downtown at rush hour atop bridge over the Mississippi River, which Line 3 crosses twice.
Minneapolis, MN: Wells Fargo bank tagged and splattered with paint.
Oakland, CA: Graffiti slogans painted.
St. Paul, MN: Rally at newly opened branch of Chase Bank, funder of Line 3.
Earlier
Minneapolis, MN: Posters against Line 3 spotted on January 14th.
During this same time period, actions took place around Turtle Island in solidarity with the call to defend Wet’suwet’en territory against Coastal GasLink. It’s Going Down has helpfully summarized the incredible response to this call here. Across the ocean, occupants of the zad, a bocage in France defended for many years against a recently-canceled airport project, began rebuilding housing structures previously destroyed by police. The same weekend, protests continued to explode in Lebanon, which has seen consistent unrest for months now. While none referred explicitly to the need to stop Line 3, we nevertheless see them as different manifestations of this same desire to reinventing our lives beyond colonialism and capitalism.
From the headwaters of the Mississippi River, a call reverberates across Turtle Island: Stop Line 3!
The Dakota and Anishinaabeg people have lived, died, and cared for the waters in what’s now “Minnesota” since long before the founding of the United States. Enbridge Inc. proposes to place a tar sands pipeline across the lands and waters of indigenous people in northern Minnesota—a project called ‘Line 3’. This pipeline proposes to cross 211 waterbodies, some of the richest wild rice beds in the world, and violate the treaty rights of Anishinaabeg negotiated in 1837, 1854, and 1855. The Minnesota segment of Line 3 is the final holdout of a pipeline planned to send 1M barrels per day of oil sands from Alberta to the western edge of Lake Superior. Line 3 represents a 10% increase in tar sands production.
As the state of Minnesota weighs the final water crossing permits needed to build Line 3, we invite you to join us for a day of joyful, exuberant, and playful public engagement with the possibilities for life without oil. Indigenous, settler, migrant—we all agree: a world of extraction is not the world we want!
When we take action to support the Dakota and Anishinaabeg preserve their homelands and culture, together we open possibilities for reinventing our lives beyond colonialism and capitalism. You don’t have to be part of an organization, a government, or some other structured system to want something else. We want ethical ways of relating to each other and to the earth. This is the only home we have. From January 17th – January 19th we call all beings who want something different to gather and display this desire using the hashtag #StopLine3. From banner drops to rallies to roving street parties to demonstrations to teach-ins, anything that helps spread our joy and defiance is welcome.
The possiblities for another world exist now.
Desde las cabeceras del río Mississippi, una llamada reverbera sobre las tierras indígenas de las americas: ¡Alto a la línea 3!
La gente indígena Dakota y Anishinaabeg han vivido, muerto y cuidado a las aguas mucho antes de la fundación de los Estados Unidos. Enbridge Inc., una empresa canadiense, propone colocar un oleoducto a través de las tierras y aguas de los pueblos indígenas en el norte de Minnesota, un proyecto llamado “Línea 3”. Este oleoducto propone cruzar 211 masas de agua, incluso algunos de los lechos de arroz silvestre más ricos del mundo, y violar a los derechos de los tratados Anishinaabeg negociados en 1837, 1854 y 1855. El segmento de Minnesota de la Línea 3 es el último paso en la construcción de este oleoducto diseñado para enviar 1 millón de barriles por día de arenas petrolíferas desde la provincia de Alberta hasta la orilla oeste del lago Superior. La línea 3 representa un aumento del 10% en la producción de arenas bituminosas.
Mientras que el estado de Minnesota está revisando los últimos permisos legales para construir la Línea 3, lxs invitamos a unirse a nosotros para unos días de acciones públicas alegre y juguetón con el sueño de dejar de depender en el petróleo. Todxs estamos de acuerdo: ¡un mundo de extracción no es el mundo que queremos!
Cuando tomamos medidas para apoyar a lxs Dakota y Anishinaabeg a preservar su patria y cultura, juntos abrimos posibilidades para reinventar nuestras vidas más allá del colonialismo y el capitalismo. No tienes que ser parte de una organización, un organismo gubernamental u otro grupo reconocido para querer algo más. Queremos formas dignas de relacionarnos entre nosotros y con la madre tierra. Este es el único hogar que tenemos. Del 17 al 19 de enero llamamos a todxs lxs seres que quieren algo diferente para reunirse y mostrar este deseo usando el hashtag #StopLine3. Desde fiestas callejeras itinerantes, manifestaciones o talleres educativos, cualquier cosa que ayude a difundir nuestra alegría y rebeldía es bienvenida.
Las posibilidades para otro mundo existen ahora.
Depuis la source du fleuve Mississippi, un appel résonne dans l’Île de la Tortue : stoppez la ligne 3 !
Bien avant la fondation des Etats-Unis, les peuples Dakota et Anishinaabeg vivaient et prenaient soin des eaux dans ce qui s’appelle actuellement « le Minnesota ». L’entreprise canadienne Enbridge propose aujourd’hui de construire un oléoduc sur les terres et eaux des peuples autochtones du nord du Minnesota – un projet nommé « la ligne 3 ». Il est prévu que cet oléoduc traverse 211 plans d’eau et des cultures de riz sauvage parmi les plus riches du monde, violant alors les droits des traités des Anishinaabeg négociés en 1837, 1854 et 1855. Le segment de la ligne 3 au Minnesota est le dernier obstacle à cet oléoduc qui enverra chaque jour un million de barils de pétrole provenant des sables bitumineux de l’Alberta sur la rive ouest du lac Supérieur. La ligne 3 représente une augmentation de 10 % de la production des sables bitumineux.
Alors que le Minnesota se trouve présentement en train d’examiner les derniers permis de traversées de cours d’eau, nous vous invitons à vous joindre à nous pour une journée d’engagement publique joyeuse, exubérante et ludique, et à envisager les possibilités d’une vie sans pétrole. Personnes autochtones, colons et migrant-e-s – nous sommes tous d’accord : un monde d’extraction n’est pas le monde que nous voulons !
Agir pour soutenir les peuples Dakota et Anishinaabeg à préserver leurs terres patrie et leur culture permet d’ouvrir ensemble des possibilités de réinventer nos vies au-delà du colonialisme et du capitalisme. Vous n’avez pas besoin de faire partie d’une organisation, d’un gouvernement ou d’un autre type de système pour vouloir un changement. Ce que nous revendiquons est simplement une éthique de notre liens entre nous et à la terre, car la terre est notre unique lieu de vie.
Entre le 17 à 19 janvier nous faisons donc appel à tous ceux qui aimeraient voir un monde de différent à se rassembler et à démontrer ce désir en utilisant le hashtag #StopLine3. Des déploiements de banderole aux manifestations en passant par des déambulations festives dans les rues et des journées d’éducation – tout ce qui nous aide à répandre notre joie et notre esprit de défi est bienvenu.
#StopLine3 