Ed O'Brien signs Kate Nash's open letter on Standing Rock

Ed O'Brien has signed an open letter to President Obama, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Justice about the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota. Kate Nash organised it, and among the more than 120 musicians and bands at its foot he is listed as “Ed O'Brien, Radiohead”, the only member of the band to sign.

The letter says non-violent protest at Standing Rock has been met with water cannon in sub-zero weather, rubber bullets, chemical agents and dogs, and likens the methods to those used during the Second World War and the civil rights movement. It backs the coalition statement of 27 November, which calls for the authorities to refuse the pipeline its easement, withdraw the permits, take the construction workers off the site, order a full environmental impact study drawn up with the tribal governments, and end the violence.

Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Brian May, Sia, Karen O, Mark Ronson and Pussy Riot are also on the list. Nash told Rolling Stone she had asked her Twitter followers whether they knew what was happening at Standing Rock, and many admitted they did not.

Since the election I have felt more than ever the necessity of activism and using the platform I am lucky enough to have to try and do something useful

Kate Nash¹