Dave Matthews leads concert to back pipeline protests

WASHINGTON - Rocker Dave Matthews on Tuesday announced a concert to support Native Americans opposed to an oil pipeline after police forcibly dispersed protesters. The Standing Rock Sioux have led efforts to block construction of the pipeline that would start in North Dakota, saying it would endanger the tribe’s water supply and destroy its sacred sites. Matthews said he would lead a concert on Nov. 27 in Washington to raise money for supplies and legal assistance for the protesters. The rocker said that more acts would be announced for the show at the historic DAR Constitution Hall, to be followed a day later by anti-pipeline activism around the US capital. “How can we continue to allow oil money to dictate our environmental and social policies? The people of Standing Rock, and those who are supporting them, are standing up for their children and all of our children,” Matthews said in a statement. “We are letting the Dakota pipeline silence their voices. Not only are they desecrating sacred lands, but they also threaten to poison the Missouri River.” Police last week arrested protesters en masse, outraging environmentalists and Native American activists who called the tactics heavy-handed. - AFP