Most jurors in pipeline case against Greenpeace have ties to fossil fuel industry | Dakota Access pipeline

More than half of the jurors who chose to hear a issue presented by a major energy company against Greenpeace It has ties to the fossil fuel industry, most of them were negative views of the protests or anti -linear groups that oppose the use of fossil fuels.

the I watched closely the trial Against Greenpeace in Mandan, North Dakota, she offered difficulty sitting in the form of jury in the country of oil, where many live in this industry. Greenpeace sought again on Tuesday to transfer the trial to another place in the state, but the judge denied the request.

Energy Transfer Partners, a Dallas -based oil and gas company, has accused the 70 billion dollars, the green peace of defamation and the regulation of criminal behavior during the region Dakota arrives pipeline Protests in 2016 and 2017. It seeks to get $ 300 million of damage, which Greenpeace says can escape operating in the United States.

The opening data started on Wednesday in the case, which is expected to last for five weeks. In its opening, energy Transport lawyer said he would prove his allegations that Greenpece has coordinated the procedures against the pipeline and transferred distorted energy, according to Associated Press.

“They did not think that there will be one day, but this day of the account begins today,” said Tree Cox, according to AP.

In its opening, Greenpeace said there is no evidence to support these allegations.

Dozens of potential jurors in a preliminary group of about 100, which were deported to the 11th match by lawyers from both sides and judge, said they have negative opinions about the pipelines protests.

They used terms such as “scary”, “chaos”, “destruction”, “disturbance” and “atrocities” to describe the protests and what the local area left to clean after that. One of them said he was against the protest in general, saying he found it “a kind of dumb.”

Greenpeace challenged almost all potential jurors, trying to get the judge to agree that they are very biased or had a lot of relationships with this case. In some cases, Greenpeace succeeded. Based on more direct interrogation of individual jurors, some admitted that they will fight in order to be neutral towards green peace or about protests. Others insisted that they will be able to evaluate evidence objectively.

A pipeline company said that the pipelines are “what keeps this country alive.” He was exempted by the judge.

One of the man said he had a friend of the National Guard who responded to the protests, and he heard his stories about what the friend saw. When asked by Greenpeace if he could ignore what he heard before and focus only on what was presented in the case, the man pointed to how difficult it is. “Isn’t this impossible?” I think this will be very difficult. “He also did not reach the final jury group.

Many potential jurors worked directly in the fossil fuel industry, and he is a major employer in Gharbia Northern DakotaOr you have a close family that worked in this industry. Some worked in local refineries or energy companies. Others receive money from oil wells on the properties of their families or families. They said they believed that the industry was useful for them and the wider society, and they did not know how to earn money without it.

One of them said that without fossil fuel, it will be “outside the streets.” The man is now in the form of jury.

Another woman who reached the jury admitted that she was very easily affected by others because “people are very convincing.”

The trial lawyer, Marti Garbus, has long been said. The trial monitoring committee Attendance of the trial. The group, which consists of prominent civil rights lawyers and rights advocates, will notice the trial and expressed their concerns about judicial bias and violations of due legal procedures.

Judge James Jeon denied requests to live the procedures, claiming that they would interfere with the right to transfer energy in a fair path.

A group of monitors trial petition On Wednesday to the Supreme Court of Northern Dakota, which urges them to delegate a public post class, saying that the issue of this broad national and international result calls for more access to the public.

Lawyer staff affirms on hand the importance of the case, which is a departure From the standard for the small court. Greenpeace leaders from all over the world were in court this week to see the case.

In recent weeks, the mysterious right correspondents have reached the homes of the local population who claimed Greenpeace that this could increase the jury gathering basin. The correspondents, made to look like a newspaper and address “Central ND News”, contains “articles” against the pipeline protest or in favor of energy transfer, between stories about immigration news and community news.

Evere Jack, a lawyer who represented Greenpeace, prepared the reporters while interrogating the jury on Monday, and asking the potential jury if they had arrived at their homes. Few mourning recognition, but a man said he not only realized it, but also brought a copy to the court that day because he was linked to the case.