Down with the black snake! Support indigenous people’s fight for full sovereignty; shut down Line 5 now!

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Wisconsin District denounces the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) decision to reroute Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline through the lands of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. We call on all progressives and revolutionaries to oppose this move and demand the immediate shutdown of Line 5. Motivated by profit, this decision infringes on the sovereignty of the Bad River Tribe and puts the ecosystems of the Great Lakes region as a whole in danger. The DNR, state, and federal government have made it clear that they are only paying lip service to indigenous people while upholding the interests of the ruling monopoly-capitalist class.

The U.S. government and those seeking to make a profit have continuously trampled on the sovereignty of indigenous peoples. Today, the DNR did this on behalf of Enbridge Inc., the company with the largest oil export pipeline network in the world. This decision by the DNR shows exactly what the U.S. ruling class thinks about indigenous peoples and their lands – they see nothing but dollars signs and markets.

In 2019, Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor Tony Evers passed a repressive law meant to prevent protests at property owned by “energy providers”. This was primarily in response to the mass protests against Enbridge Inc. Today, Evers’ policies of upholding private interests and ignoring the will of working and oppressed people remains the same. Evers and the Democratic Party at large have doubled down on their support for extractive industries, especially fossil fuels. Along with support of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz ran on a platform of support for fracking in their failed campaign. At best, the Biden administration has a dubious track record with environmental issues the last four years. October 2024 was the hottest October ever recorded, with temperatures being nearly 60 degrees Fahrenheit, 5 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than averages in the 20th century.

The U.S. empire’s involvement in Israel’s genocide in Palestine has resulted in CO2 emissions greater than that of dozens of countries put together. As the rest of us deal with the consequences, the DNR is upholding the interests of those who are driving the world further into the climate crisis. The incoming Trump administration only plans to exacerbate all these issues and make life harder for everyone except for the rich. Every day, it becomes more obvious that the capitalist parties do not take the needs of the masses of people into account.

FRSO supports the struggle for full sovereignty and national development for indigenous peoples. The Bad River Tribe and all oppressed nationalities in the U.S. have a proud history of fighting for liberation. We see the struggle against Line 5 as connected to a wider process of imperialist struggle and national liberation. Imperialism is the highest and final stage of capitalism, and the movement to take it down is growing. It’s becoming more clear that the U.S. is an empire in decline and is grasping at straws as its worldwide dominance dwindles. We need to continue building up the movement to bring this backward system to an end. Those exploiting natural resources and casting oppressed people aside won’t be defeated unless we organize and fight back.

We encourage our friends and allies to call demonstrations in solidarity, organize protests in their city, or join upcoming protests called on by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Full sovereignty for indigenous peoples now! Down with the black snake! Fight capitalism, build socialism!

#WI #Environment #OppressedNationalities #IndigenousPeoples #Line5