We feature a surprise address by Senator Bernie Sanders outside the White House on Tuesday during a global day of action against the Dakota Access pipeline that included demonstrations in over 300 cities. “Today we are saying it is time for a new approach to the Native American people, not to run a pipeline through their land,” Sanders said, demanding that their sovereign rights be honored. He also spoke about the need for politicians to protect access to clean water, recognize that climate change is real, and support an aggressive shift away from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources.
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AMY GOODMAN: We’re broadcasting from Marrakech, Morocco, the site of the U.N. climate summit, or COP 22, the Conference of the Parties. Thousands of protesters gathered across the United States and the world Tuesday for a global day of action against the Dakota Access pipeline. Protests were held in over 300 cities. In New York, dozens were arrested when protesters staged a sit-in outside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office. Another 25 people were arrested in North Dakota. Protesters also rallied outside the White House, where Senator Bernie Sanders made a surprise appearance and addressed the protesters.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: The issues are very clear. For hundreds of years, the Native American people in our country, the first Americans, have been lied to, have been cheated, and their sovereign rights have been denied them. And today we are saying it is time for a new approach to the Native American people, not to run a pipeline through their land. And we are demanding that sovereign rights of the Native American people be honored and respected.
And the second issue that we are here for this night is to understand that in midst — in the midst of a major water crisis and a growing crisis in our country and around the world, we are not going to allow a pipeline to endanger the clean water that millions of people depend upon.
And the third issue — the third issue is…