Resistance is Sacred: Water Protector Legal Collective Condemns Escalating Human Rights Violations and Militarized Repression

Nizhóní Begay
18 hours ago
7 min read

Statement from the Water Protector Legal Collective

The Water Protector Legal Collective (WPLC) stands in unwavering solidarity with communities resisting violent state repression. We are living through a dangerous and historic escalation of militarized state violence and human rights violations on both local and global fronts. As militarized forces are deployed against peaceful protesters and humanitarian activists alike, we condemn and denounce the deliberate erosion of human rights and the criminalization of dissent and lawful protest at home and abroad–from Standing Rock, to L.A. to the besieged Gaza strip. The parallels of repression and state violence across frontlines are not isolated, but rather rooted in the structural foundations of racial capitalism and settler colonialism that undergrid the legal structures and systems in place that have historically criminalized Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant resistance.

In Los Angeles, the federal government has deployed over 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines—without the consent of California’s Governor—in response to peaceful protests against violent ICE raids. This militarized occupation of Los Angeles, a city with deep histories of resistance and repression, marks a chilling turn. David Huerta, SEIU President and a respected labor leader, was arrested for peacefully observing a protest in Los Angeles. U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference and tackled to the ground, simply for questioning the Secretary of Homeland Security about the federal response. These acts are not mistakes, they are messages: dissent will be punished. This is yet another chapter in a broader strategy of state control and racialized policing.

“In Los  Angeles, protest isn’t a choice—it’s our city’s heartbeat,” said WPLC Communications Coordinator & LA resident, Nizhoni Begay. “From the Watts Uprising in 1965 to the East Los Angeles walkouts, anti-war rallies, Plata 187 marches, and Zoot Suit Riots, our neighbors have repeatedly answered when law enforcement oversteps. If you bring militarized raids into our neighborhoods, just know: L.A. shows up and fights back.

At Water Protector Legal Collective, this is personal. Many of us have immigrant relatives or come from families directly impacted by these violent policies. We are hurting, grieving, and standing firm—because when our communities are under attack, we know we must act like these people are our family. Because they are.”

The deployment of active-duty Marines and federalized National Guard raises serious constitutional and human rights concerns. California’s lawsuit labels this a direct assault on democracy. Terrorizing communities with masked troops, tear gas, rubber bullets, and curfews (imposed despite mostly peaceful protests) replicates colonial eras of suppression and state violence. The kidnapping by masked ICE agents, disappearance, forced deportations, and inhumane detentions of our relatives are reminiscent of brutal state repression found in authoritarian military juntas of the global South. As the integrity of human rights in the United States rapidly crumbles, our bodies also recognize the harm of this moment. For many of us, the deep-seeded intergenerational trauma in our DNA surfaces familiar patterns and emotions: fear, anxiety, and moral injury. At the same time, this reminds us of our connections to one another and to prepare to protect our communities. No human being is illegal on stolen land.

Across the sea, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a nonviolent humanitarian solidarity mission attempting to deliver baby formula, medical supplies and raise awareness of the ongoing siege in Gaza, was forcibly intercepted by Israeli naval forces in international waters. These unarmed human rights defenders aboard the Madleen were detained–some still remain in custody–while attempting to carry out a lawful, nonviolent mission in defense of human life.

International law defends such missions, The Geneva Conventions affirm the right to deliver humanitarian aid when states obstruct basic survival. Art. 63 (1)(a);(2). The Universal Declaration on Human Rights confirms that being beyond territorial borders does not forfeit one's rights: “the fact that [people] may be at sea beyond the limits of territorial jurisdiction does not affect their human rights.” The militarized interception of the Madleen is part of a broader pattern of blockades, detention of civilians, and systemic disregard for UN rulings demanding unimpeded humanitarian access. The Special Rapporteur on occupied Palestine and Special Rapporteur on Food, have each called for a strong humanitarian corridor to Gaza. There is an urgent need for humanity and solidarity at this moment: “The flotilla — like many civil society actions — does not threaten Israel’s security, but its impunity,” said United Nations Special Rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese.

Colonial violence targets our communities disproportionately, and the law often facilitates this. We also recognize that colonial violence not only targets our communities but the Earth itself. The recent refusal of the U.S. Supreme Court to protect Oak Flat, a sacred Apache site threatened by the Resolution Copper mining project, is a devastating affirmation of how the law continues to sanction the desecration of Indigenous lands. Across the country, “public lands” are being auctioned for extraction and drilling–from Chaco Canyon to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge–violating Indigenous sovereignty and endangering ecosystems for corporate profit. The violence inflicted on our communities is inseparable from the violence inflicted on our lands and waters.

Protest is an Internationally-Recognized Legal Right

Solidarity and dissent are not just moral imperatives, they are recognized under international law. The right to protest, to assemble, to speak out against injustice is fundamental and human rights frameworks affirm the truths our communities have always known. These rights are not privileges, they do not depend on immigration status, citizenship, or political convenience. Beyond the United States Constitution itself, these rights are recognized under core international instruments including the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights (Art. 20(1)), the American Convention on Human Rights (Art. 15), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Art. 15), and the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination(Art. 5 (d)(ix)), among many others. All of these specifically enumerate the right to assembly as a human right that states must uphold.

States are not only obligated to allow protest—they are required to affirmatively protect it, without discrimination against racial, political, or social groups. When the state instead responds with militarized violence, it’s not just a policy failure - it’s a human rights violation. The targeting of peaceful protestors with so-called “less lethal” munitions have also been decried under international law. In Ataykaya v. Turkey, European Court on Human Rights held that such munitions must not be fired at the head or face due to the high risk of serious injury or death. Even the U.N.’s own police guidelines prohibit the use of rubber bullets because of their inherent danger. These norms exist for a reason. They are being violated with impunity.

Protest is not only a right—it is a responsibility. Grassroots organizing, legal accompaniment, and collective resistance are vital to defending human rights. Without these, colonial and corporate power go unchallenged. The global backlash against protest disrespects the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of generations who fought to make these rights a reality.

Our Commitment to Defend and Resist

As Indigenous movement lawyers and advocates, we know the systems we are up against were not built for us. The law is not neutral - it has long been used to protect power and property, not people or dignity. Still, we use it, when possible, to slow harm, serve our communities, protect protectors, and defend those on the frontlines. The law is one tool among many in our work towards collective liberation. We know that change does not come from the courts alone, and liberation requires more than litigation.

“The Water Protector Legal Collective was born at Standing Rock in response to mass criminalization and violence against Water Protectors, so we know deeply that our struggles are historical and interconnected. The slow erosion of human rights is not new to us because we have long seen past the veil of American exceptionalism. We are not a ‘city on a shining hill’ or a model for human rights in the world,” said WPLC Executive Director, Natali Segovia. “And yet, as an Indigenous-led legal organization, we know we carry a responsibility to act, to protect our communities, and to hold accountable the law and human rights frameworks that so regularly fail us. This is a commitment and a struggle we inherited from our ancestors. We carry that mantle and cannot set it down.”

We’ve seen this all before—and we will resist it again. The federal government has repeatedly used militarized force to suppress Black, Indigenous, and Brown resistance. These are not isolated incidents. These are global patterns of repression targeting our collective power and shared humanity.

We reject the use of active-duty troops in our cities. We reject the criminalization of humanitarian aid. We reject the normalization of military occupation. We reject the targeting of frontline communities. Today is a living reminder of our obligation to our ancestors who fought before us. We cannot be silent. We cannot look away. The crackdown on dissent is an effort to suppress truth, compassion, and solidarity. Our strength lies in community and we are not alone.

We affirm: Resistance is sacred. Solidarity is survival. All our liberation is connected.

The Water Protector Legal Collective (WPLC) is 501(c)3 Indigenous-led non-profit law firm and advocacy organization that works to protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Original Nations, the Earth, and climate justice movements. Born out of the #noDAPL movement at Standing Rock, WPLC’s founding mission was to serve as the on the ground legal team for the Indigenous-led movement, providing representation to over 800 Water Protectors facing state repression. Today, WPLC continues to work on the frontlines of struggles to protect the Earth in the United States and internationally, focusing on human rights at the intersection of Indigenous rights, climate and environmental justice.