USA: Thousands march against the Dakota Access Pipeline in Washington DC

Thousands marched through Washington DC on Sunday, to protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline and express their solidarity with the indigenous people of the Oceti Sakowin Camp in Dakota.
The crowd demanded to halt the process of issuing permits by the Army Corps of Engineers for the pipeline construction. According to the protesters, the project can seriously harm the water system built by indigenous Americans and damage their territory. The activists also appealed to the Department of Justice to protect communities against police violence.
The US police were heavily criticised over their aggressive reaction to the protests in the four US states as well as in Standing Rock Sioux. One of the protesters, the 21-year-old activist was injured after being reportedly hit by a concussion grenade, whilst protesting on a bridge near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
The Army Corps of Engineers issued an eviction notice, which orders protesters to clear the camp territory by 5 December. However, the residents stated they would remain in the camp.
Since it was approved in late July, the 1,886-kilometre (1,172 mile) pipeline has sparked outrage among Native American communities and locals. The project, which would cost around $3,8 billion (€3.3 billion), is expected to carry crude oil from the North Dakota region, north of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe's lands, to South Dakota and Iowa to an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois, if completed.
The construction of the pipeline was initially halted by US President Barack Obama's administration in September, but activists have voiced their concern that President-elect Donald Trump will revive the project when he takes over the office in 2017.