12,000 Tar Sands Protesters Wrap White House in Human Chain

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Josh Lopez, Tar Sands Action via Flickr/CC BY 2.0

Thousands of concerned citizens from across the U.S. and Canada descended on the White House today. They were gathered to protest the Keystone XL, the pipeline that would, as any reader of these pages will know, transport uniquely dirty tar sands oil 1,700 miles across the United States. A rally began at 1:30 pm in Lafayette Square, the park across from 1600 Pennsylvania. Activists, politicians, and celebrities took to the makeshift stage to denounce the proposed pipeline. Then, around an hour later, an estimated 12,000 people completely encircled the White House, joining hands to form a human chain.

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12,000 Tar Sands Protesters Wrap White House in Human Chain : TreeHugger

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"Our message to Barack Obama was simple: stand up to big polluters, stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and honor your promises to help move the planet beyond fossil fuels. And around the world, people took action in solidarity with the protesters in DC. Some folks might see this as a Canadian or American fight — but it’s not. The Alberta Tar Sands marks the location of the second largest pool of carbon on the planet — this is a global fight."

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Bill McKibben: 12,000 Stand shoulder to shoulder against Keystone XL

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UPDATE January 18: President Obama has just rejected a permit for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline -- a project that promised riches for the oil giants and an environmental disaster for the rest of us.

His decision represents a victory of historic proportions for NRDC and hundreds of thousands of committed activists like you who have waged an uphill, years-long fight against one of the most nightmarish fossil fuel projects of our time.

Please thank the President right away for his game-changing decision.

Stop the Tar Sands Pipeline : Take Action!: Save BioGems: President Obama has changed the rules of the game by listening to the American people, rejecting Big Oil’s political bullying and rejecting the destructive Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Please send him a message of thanks right away. If you want to have an even bigger impact, please call the White House at 202-456-1111 and convey your personal thanks directly!

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see also

what next: Keystone XL | Republican Hostage Taking | Tar Sands

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