Protest at the Oceti Sakowin Camp (Photo: Hrag Vartanian)
NEW YORK—A group of Armenian American artists, scholars, journalists, and activists issued a statement in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).
The more than 30 signatories include artist and activist Serj Tankian, actor and playwright Eric Bogosian, novelists Chris Bohjalian, Micheline Aharonian Marcom, Aline Ohanesian, and Nancy Kricorian, artist and author Vahe Berberian, journalist and author Mark Arax, and journalist David Barsamian.
The statement notes that the construction of the pipeline threatens the environment and is a violation of Native American rights. “It constitutes a continuation of centuries-old policies of dispossession, destruction, and denial of indigenous people’s rights. As descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors, we cannot remain silent against these acts,â€
