Protests against the Dakota Access pipeline have spread across the US to demand the American government stop or reroute the pipeline as the companies behind the controversial project asked a federal court for permission to complete it.
Thousands of people rallied on Tuesday in New York City, Philadelphia, Houston and other cities, in what organizers said were the largest demonstrations to date against the pipeline. The most intense protests took place in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, near the path of the pipeline where.
There were 26 arrests in Cannon Ball, where protesters attempted to block a railroad with a pickup truck then tried to set the vehicle on fire, according to the Morton County Sheriff’s Department.
“Their job is to protect us, but instead they’re protecting corporate interests and profits and money,” said Cannon Ball protester Fumi Tosu, 38, of San Jose, California, adding that police used mace on demonstrators.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, an…