Over the next few weeks, a total of 10 activists were charged with conspiracy to defame the reputation of a business, a misdemeanor most commonly used in civil disputes, and two felonies: conspiracy to commit unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, known colloquially as the joyriding charge, and abduction of the MVP machine operator.
Almost 50 non-violent activists were arrested in multiple counties across Virginia and West Virginia during the final phase of pipeline construction, amid growing concern about the criminalization of environmental and climate protests across the US – and globally.
Climate activists who tried to disrupt the completion of a fossil-fuel pipeline through Appalachian forests will appear in court in Virginia on Tuesday to face serious criminal charges that they vehemently deny.
Biden’s decision triggered a wave of non-violent protests and civil disobedience against the pipeline in Virginia and West Virginia as work crews rushed to finish construction of the pipeline through sensitive waterways and protected forests.
In a separate action on 29 January 2024, Madeline Ffitch attached herself to drilling equipment in the Jefferson national forest, at the top of Peters Mountain, with a banner that read “Mountain moms say no to MVP”.
