The Stream

Video: Activists chase US Senator McCain’s car chanting ‘go home’ during visit to Navajo Nation

Native Americans protest response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s accidental toxic mine spill.

Warning: The video above contains graphic language.

 

US Senator John McCain and Arizona governor Doug Ducey were not welcomed with open arms during a visit with Navajo Nation officials on Friday. Video footage released by Paper Rocket Productions shows McCain and Ducey’s caravan being chased by activists yelling “go home” and “get off our land”. 

 

Protesters are angry over the response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) accidental Colorado mine spill earlier this month, which sent three million gallons of toxic waste into the Animas and San Juan rivers. The contamination of these rivers, which run through the Navajo Nation, have many tribe members concerned about how this will affect their livelihood. 

 

During McCain’s visit, he was bombarded with questions by activists about the spill’s impact on their waters. They are also protesting against McCain’s role in pushing a bill to hand over disputed “sacred land” called Oak Flat to a foreign mining corporation.