The Green Party’s presidential candidate Jill Stein was arrested in east Texas on Wednesday morning while she was attempting to bring food and Halloween candy to protesters.
The protesters have been camping out in trees in opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, reports The Washington Post .
Stein was arrested and taken to the Wood County jail, where she was charged with criminal trespassing , a class B misdemeanor, according to Kim Huynh, a spokesman for anti-pipeline activist group the Tar Sands Blockade.
Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline climbed trees in its proposed path in Winnsboro, Texas, 38 days ago. According to Jill Stein’s website, she and three other women were attempting to deliver “fresh fruits and vegetables, canned proteins, trail mix, and Halloween candy.”
Stein had previously been detained earlier this month when she attempted to enter the last presidential debate without proper clearance. Jill Stein’s website posted a breaking news statement about the candidate’s arrest. Before she was taken in, the Green Party candidate said:
“I’m here to connect the dots between super storm Sandy and the record heat, drought, and fire we’ve seen this year – and this Tar Sands pipeline, which will make all of these problems much worse. And I’m here to connect the dots between climate devastation and pipeline politicians – both Obama and Romney – who are competing, as we saw in the debates, for the role of Puppet In Chief for the fossil fuel industry. Both deserve that title. Obama’s record of ‘drill baby drill’ has gone beyond the harm done by George Bush. Mitt Romney promises more of the same.”
Jill Stein also stated that the protest of the Keystone XL pipeline is the “the front line of the climate crisis today.” The Green Party candidate added that she was willing to be arrested “in order to show solidarity with this blockade.”
