More than 500 people gathered in front of the White House in Washington on Monday 11 October, on the day marking Indigenous Peoples' Day, to protest against the decisions made by the Biden administration on environmental matters. The demonstrators called on the government, in particular, to halt projects linked to the use of fossil fuels that harm Native American communities across the United States, from the Appalachian mountains on the east coast to the pristine lands of Alaska.

Indigenous Peoples' Day

The protests were organised by Build Back Fossil Free, a coalition made up of hundreds of activists from various local and national organisations. According to the group, 135 people were arrested for remaining near the White House after police had ordered the crowd to disperse.

People vs. Fossil Fuels @FightFossils

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BREAKING: Massive crowd of Indigenous-led climate activists arrive at the White House to confront @JoeBiden and demand an end to fossil fuels.

#PeopleVsFossilFuels

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The date chosen for the start of the protests was no coincidence: in the United States, 11 October is celebrated as Indigenous Peoples' Day, a day dedicated to the culture of Native American peoples. President Joe Biden was the first to officially recognise this occasion. Originally, 11 October coincided with Columbus Day, a day dedicated to Christopher Columbus, but recently a number of American states and cities have followed Biden's lead and replaced the holiday — today controversial owing to the massacres perpetrated by Europeans against the peoples who already inhabited American soil in the 15th century — with the celebration of indigenous cultures.

The protests in Washington

The protests were largely peaceful, but there were moments of tension: some demonstrators, for instance, reported the use by police of long range acoustic devices (LRADs), acoustic devices that emit a highly unpleasant sound with the aim of dispersing crowds. Furthermore, as reported by the British daily the Guardian, the words "Expect us" were painted on the base of a statue of Andrew Jackson, the seventh American president, infamously known — among other things — for the violent policies he pursued against Native Americans.

The quote comes from the motto "Respect us, or expect us" used by Native women in Minnesota to protest against Canadian oil company Enbridge's $9 billion plan to expand one of its facilities.

Indigenous Environmental Network @IENearth

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The Andrew Jackson statue at the @WhiteHouse was redecorated! Today is #IndigenousPeoplesDay but don’t get it twisted, colonization is not over. Native ppls are still fighting settler violence via fossil fuel extraction across Turtle Island! #PeopleVsFossilFuels

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Representatives of indigenous peoples protested against the scant regard shown by the American government towards their demands and priorities, particularly on environmental issues: many extraction sites, in fact, endanger territories historically occupied by native peoples, who are fighting to preserve their integrity.

Many believe the Biden administration is not living up to the many promises made on the subject during the election campaign. "Biden put a great deal of emphasis on fighting climate change; his election was built on people of colour and indigenous peoples. But when it comes down to it, our lives are still being sacrificed for oil or natural gas," said, for example, Siqiñiq Maupin, director of Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic, an Alaska-based group that fights to protect native lands from drilling.

People vs Fossil Fuels, the movement behind the protests, put forward specific demands, calling on President Biden to take a stand to block fossil fuel projects, declare a "climate emergency" and launch a "just revolution in renewable energy".

All eyes are on the White House, and Biden's decisions over the coming months could be crucial in defining the legacy the president leaves behind at the end of his term.