Anti-Keystone Group Fundraises Off Pipeline Foe’s Viral Video

CLAIM: Multiple news outlets reported that the person at the center of a new viral video is also a seasoned anti-pipeline advocate and has fought against the Keystone XL Pipeline.

RATING: True

FACT CHECK

The Native American activist at the center of a new viral video is also a seasoned pipeline foe with ties to one of the nation’s more prominent anti-pipeline groups.

Nathan Phillips “is a longtime pipeline fighter and water protector,” according to the Bold Nebraska, a leading anti-pipeline group run by liberal firebrand Jane Kleeb, who gained national notoriety for her opposition to TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline. Phillips made inroads with Kleeb and Bold Nebraska during the height of the anti-Keystone movement in 2014, partaking in numerous demonstrations, including a week-long encampment on the National Mall.

Phillips marching with anti-Dakota Access Pipeline protesters in North Dakota.

Phillips, who spent almost four months protesting the pipeline, was one of the last to leave the encampment and was present when more than 20 fires were set before the final group evacuated. In the above video, columns of billowing smoke and flames can be seen as Phillips leads a group of protesters out of the camp. According to authorities, the fires resulted in multiple explosions and led two children to be taken to an area hospital to be treated for burns.

It’s therefore no surprise that Phillips and Kleeb are trying to capitalize on this unexpected publicity. Noting the video, Bold Nebraska asked supporters in a recent blog post and email blast to donate money to help fund its opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline, including money for “cultural resource surveys of the proposed KXL route.”