Anonymous Threatens Governor Over Dakota Access Protests

Hacktivist collective Anonymous has reportedly issued a strong warning against North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple in relation to the protests against the Dakota Access pipeline project.

As reported in Zero Hedge on Sunday, a video from Anonymous questioned why Dalyrimple called on National Guard troops to face several hundred demonstrators that were opposed to the 1200-mile pipeline that would transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois.

Anonymous threatened to release documents showing a purported conflict of interest if they “harm one hair of the Native Americans peacefully protesting the pipeline’s construction.”

“Anonymous is calling you out, you damn coward,” the video’s narrator said.

The narrator further claimed the pipeline is encroaching Native lands and threatening local water supplies.

“Any employees of the pipeline watching this should quit if you don’t want Anonymous to release” workers’ private info, the narrator intoned.

This hasn’t been the first time that Anonymous has threatened with interjecting into the Dakota Access debate but for some protesters their presence is not welcome.

"It's about maintaining control of the situation," Chris Big Eagle, a member of the indigenous Warrior Society, told Softpedia in August. "I fear that the people of Standing Rock may be blamed for the actions of Anonymous."

"I'm afraid that law enforcement may use the actions of Anonymous to target the Natives protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline," he adds. "The leaders of the protest have asked that protests remain peaceful."

The initial occupation of the construction site began in April and has grown as the issue gained more attention and has even become a cause celebre. For opponents of the plan, including occupiers threatening to stay put over the harsh winter months, the Dakota Access issue represents potential environmental degradation, the possibility of contaminating local water supplies, and the encroachment of indigenous territory. Backers of the plan, however, claim that the Dakota Access will create jobs and help local economies, and prevent transporting crude oil via rail.

By Erwin Cifuentes for Oilprice.com

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