Hundreds of demonstrators marched through downtown yesterday afternoon during rush hour to protest the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota.
Protesters gathered support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which has fought construction of the pipeline because of its proximity to both its tribal lands and its water supply.
The demonstration started at the Texas State Capitol, before heading south down Congress Avenue to a Wells Fargo bank at Second Street, then over to the Chase Bank on Sixth Street – two banks which have reportedly invested in the pipeline.
Austin's march was one of several planned around the country.
The pipeline, which is being built by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, was recently halted by the Army Corps of Engineers, which said the route of the pipeline may require further study.
According to the Texas Tribune, Energy Transfer Partners has vowed to take legal action, and the company's CEO said in a statement the decision was "motivated purely by politics at the expense of a company that has done nothing but play by the rules it was given."
