Two UNBC graduate students are in a North Dakota jail, according to their professor.
Nicole Schafenacker and Katriona Siloen Auerbach have been protesting the Dakota Access oil pipeline since early last week.
Northern Medical Program professor Sarah de Leeuw said she got a call from Schafenacker's mother early Friday afternoon saying the two were in jail, arrested sometime Thursday.
The Associated Press reported 141 people were arrested in a nearly six-hour operation that began Thursday morning, with a Morton County Sheriff Department spokesperson saying most of the protesters were arrested for conspiracy to endanger by fire or explosion, engaging in a riot and maintaining a public nuisance.
"According to the mother, they were arrested as part of mass crackdown and arrests yesterday," de Leeuw said. "They were doing nothing other than peaceful protestation. They are being held in what Nicole's mom understands to be cages with 35 people per cage.
"They haven't been charged with anything. They haven't yet received legal counsel or access to lawyers."
De Leeuw said the two interdisciplinary studies students are both at the University of Northern B.C. on scholarship and had moved to Prince George for their education.
She described them as brilliant and passionate social activists and said while she's proud of their conviction, she's worried for their safety.
"I don't think they expected to get arrested but I think they deeply feel what's occurring in the Dakotas and what's going on other Indigenous lands is morally bankrupt and I'm so proud they followed their convictions."
Schafenacker is from Edmonton and is focusing her studies on indigenous health and Siloen Auerbach masters' research is looking at wealth and well-being through Indigenous informed hunting practices, land relationships and ways of knowing.
De Leeuw said she's been keeping close touch with the two of them over the last week and a half but got worried when she hadn't heard word after Wednesday.
De Leeuw said she's trying to do what she can to raise awareness about their situation and canvassing as many people as possible to call the Cass County Jail Administration to voice anger that two Canadians have been arrested for "peaceful protest against corporate violence to indigenous land."
An Oct. 21 email from the two women called the protest a life-changing experience.
"We seem to have gotten here at the exact right time and things are really going to be unfolding over the next couple of days as the pipeline is now only two miles away from the peaceful protest grounds," they wrote, saying that they planned to extend their visit. "We're feeling like it's very critical that we stay and show support over the next 48 hours."
Schafenacker's mother could not be immediately reached for comment.
