Chanting “Yes we can,” about 65 protesters held a third consecutive day of sit-in protests in front of the White House on Monday morning, calling for the Obama administration to block approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.
The demonstration lasted 19 minutes before the U.S. Park Police issued a final dispersal order and began making arrests just before 11:30 a.m. Seven protesters left before being arrested. Meanwhile, 65 more demonstrators arrested Saturday prepared to be released from jail Monday afternoon.
“We see this pipeline as the biggest environmental test President [Barack] Obama will have before the 2012 election,” said Jamie Henn, a spokesman for jailed protest organizer Bill McKibben’s group Tar Sands Action. “With the stroke of a pen, he’ll be able to end a potential environmental disaster, stop the pipeline and electrify a base of support that hasn’t been enthusiastic about his reelection.”
But Obama was on his Martha’s Vineyard vacation, the eyes of the world’s media were on Libya and the White House protest was getting little coverage in mainstream news organizations.