It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a blockader!

Photo: Tar Sands Blockade/Creative Commons

Diboll, TX - Tar Sands Blockaders halt construction of Keystone XL pipeline with aerial tree blockade. Late Wednesday night blockaders set up two "dump platforms" nestled 50-60 feet in the air with a perimeter of intricate life-lines spanning 80-100 feet. The blockaders are sitting in solidarity with the Idle No More First Nations movement. 

    The first day of blockading ended with a ten hour stand-off between protesters and police and led to the arrest of five individuals, including one of the tree-sitters who was brought to the ground by a cherry picker. The tree blockade comes just weeks after the end of Tar Sands Blockade's 85 day tree blockade near Winnsboro, TX. 

     Tar Sands Blockade Spokesperson Ron Seifert says using peaceful and sustained civil disobedience to stop construction of TransCanada's Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is necessary for our collective future. 

Photo: Tar Sands Blockade/Creative Commons

     "Institutional methods of addressing climate change have failed us," explained Ron Seifert. "Rising up to defend our homes against corporate exploitation is our  best and only hope to preserve life on this planet. We must normalize and embrace direct, organized resistance to the death machine of industrial extraction and stand with those like Idle No More who take extraordinary risk to defend their families and livelihoods." 

     Angelina County authorities said the second protester is still atop the "dump platform" deep in the woods. They plan on coming back in the morning to retrieve the blockader. 

     This is the first direct-action of 2013 for Tar Sands Blockade, who is entering their sixth month of civil disobedience against the Keystone XL pipeline. Tar Sands Blockade is a coalition of climate justice activists and Texas and Oklahoma landowners using peaceful and sustained civil disobedience to stop construction of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline. 

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Photo: Tar Sands Blockade/Creative Commons

Tar Sands Blockade

Photo: Max Anderson

     Opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline is heating up in East Texas. The Tar Sands Blockade group is organizing with local residents and environmentalists from around the country to stop the Keystone XL pipeline. Led by veteran climate justice organizers, participants have waged non-violent direct action against construction of the pipeline by building a tree sit-in and locking-down to heavy machinery. 

     Tar Sands Blockade, now entering its sixth month of action, will be hosting another 'mass action training camp' in preparation for an action on January 7th. The mass action camp is scheduled January 3rd - 8th. The training and events are open and include roles for everyone. If you are interested in joining the Tar Sands Blockade and standing up against toxic tar sands then make your way to Southeast Texas this weekend!!!