"ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. ― Since April 2017, opponents of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline have been trickling into an encampment in south Louisiana to block construction of the 163-mile crude oil pipeline, which demonstrators say will harm the region’s water supply. The self-described “water protectors” have proven successful in disrupting the building of the pipeline, but in recent weeks police upped the ante by arresting and charging activists under a controversial new law.
On Aug. 9, three demonstrators with the L’eau Est La Vie protest camp in Rayne were kayaking through public waters adjoining Bayou Bridge construction when they became the first in the state to be arrested on charges of “critical infrastructure” trespass. The law, which went into effect on Aug. 1, redefines pipelines as critical infrastructure. As a result, trespassing along them – a crime that previously warranted not much more than a misdemeanor citation – is a felony offense that carries up to five years imprisonment and fines up to $1,000.
“Our water protectors were breaking no laws as they were using their kayaks in navigable public waters, a protected right in Louisiana. Moreover, corporate private security should not have the power to abduct and detain people,” L’eau Est La Vie Camp wrote on Facebook."
David Lohr reports for HuffPost September 21, 2018.
SEE ALSO:
"'Treating Protest As Terrorism': US Plans Crackdown on Keystone XL Activists" (Guardian)
"Tougher Laws On Pipeline Protests Face Test In Louisiana" (NPR)
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