More arrests at White House during climate campaign
Washington, October 14 (RHC)-- In Washington, D.C., at least 155 Indigenous leaders and climate justice advocates were arrested outside the White House Tuesday as this week’s climate actions continue.
Demonstrators are demanding the Biden administration divest from fossil fuels and declare a climate emergency. Activists also delivered a petition with over 1 million signatures to the Army Corps of Engineers Tuesday to stop the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a virtual address to the National Congress of American Indians. She said: “Explorers ushered in a wave of devastation for tribal nations, perpetrating violence, stealing land and spreading disease. We must not shy away from this shameful past. And we must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the past on Native communities today.”
Across Latin America, thousands of Indigenous leaders and supporters took to the streets to mark 529 years of Indigenous resistance. In Guatemala City, a colonial statue of a former president was stained with red paint, toppled and beheaded, as protesters denounced a racist state. Protesters also attempted to topple a statue of Christopher Columbus.
In Bolivia, hundreds took to the streets of the capital La Paz to commemorate the Day of Decolonization. One of the organizers of the event, Angélica Ponce, said: “Women are here to fight. We won’t rest from defending our homeland. We’ll stay together. More than ever, we tell the U.S. interference, the right-wingers in Bolivia: We’ll keep on fighting, and they shall respect us.”
