"Tar Sands Blockaders Arrested, Police Accused of 'Torture'"

"WINNSBORO, Texas -- Two anti-tar sands pipeline activists were arrested in east Texas on Tuesday as demonstrators continue a three-day-old tree-sit to block TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline."

Shannon Bebe of Dallas and Benjamin Franklin of Houston delayed pipeline construction for most of the day when they locked arms around construction machinery being used by TransCanada to build the southern branch of a pipeline from the Alberta tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast.

'Police were on the scene, interacting with the blockaders peacefully,' said Seifert, 'until TransCanada supervisors arrived and had a huddle with police. After that, the police used pain techniques.'

Police handcuffed the protesters’ free hands to the heavy machinery in stress positions and proceeded to use sustained chokeholds, violent arm-twisting, pepper spray, and repeated tasering to coerce the two to abandon their protest, Seifert said, while TransCanada personnel stood by and watched."

Environmental News Service had the story September 26, 2012.

SEE ALSO:

"TransCanada Turns Sadistic in Texas: Keystone XL Protestors Tased and Pepper Sprayed" (Huffington Post/Bill McKibben)