Video: Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters Threw Rocks at Security Guards, Hit Dogs With Sticks

In the aftermath of a holiday weekend riot at the construction site of the Dakota Access Pipeline there has been a concerted effort by the protesters and the left-wing environmental groups backing them to promote a certain narrative. One which has supposedly peaceful protesters set upon by “mercenary” security guards wielding mace and attack dogs.

Only the video – much of it gathered by the protesters themselves – shows something very different. For instance, this clip which shows a couple of interesting things.

First, it shows the protesters advancing toward the security guards while the latter group tries to use dogs and mace to keep them at bay. Keep in mind, the protesters got to this point by breaking down a construction fence. Second, it shows the protesters actively antagonizing the dogs being used by the security personnel:

This second video is a longer clip which overlaps the first one but also goes a bit further, showing the protesters throwing rocks and chasing the security personnel back to their trucks:

Again, the narrative from the protesters is that they are the victims. They claim they were peacefully protesting when they were gassed by security guards and attacked by dogs. The most prominent media headlines seem to help with this narrative, focusing on the use of dogs and mace against the protesters and not the context in which those security tools were deployed.

We are being asked to believe that the protesters peacefully broke down a fence and then peacefully marched at security guards who they peacefully hit and throw rocks rocks at while peacefully antagonizing their guard dogs, at which point they promptly became victims because the dogs bit some of them and the security guards used maced.

The security guards absolutely tried to use mace and their guard dogs to keep this large group of angry protesters away from the pipeline workers and equipment they were hired to protect. I’ve yet to see video of a single security guard behaving unprofessionally.

As apparent ex post facto justification for these activities, Standing Rock Chairman David Archambault sent out a press release – again, hours after this violent mob descended on the security guards – claiming that the pipeline company had been destroying significant historical artifacts. It’s worth noting that the protesters have made similar claims in the past only to see them debunked.

Standing Rock now says they’re asking for a restraining order against Energy Transfer Partners – the company trying to build this pipeline – based on their claims about the artifacts.

Maybe the focus on the artifacts comes after news I broke this last week concerning the fact that Standing Rock’s drinking water intake is being moved some 70 miles down river to Mobridge, South Dakota, as part of a project started in 2002.