'Treating Protest As Terrorism': US Plans Crackdown on KXL Activists

"Documents suggest an aggressive response to possible protests against the oil pipeline amid fears of another Standing Rock"

"Angeline Cheek is preparing for disaster. The indigenous organizer from the Fort Peck reservation in Montana fears that the proposed Keystone XL pipeline could break and spill, destroy her tribe’s water, and desecrate sacred Native American sites.

But environmental catastrophe is not the most immediate threat.

The government has characterized pipeline opponents like her as “extremists” and violent criminals and warned of potential “terrorism”, according to recently released records.

The documents suggested that police were organizing to launch an aggressive response to possible Keystone protests, echoing the actions against the Standing Rock movement in North Dakota. There, officers engaged in intense surveillance and faced widespread accusations of excessive force and brutality."

Will Parrish and Sam Levin report for the Guardian September 20, 2018.

Source: Guardian, 09/20/2018