Canadian music icon Neil Young is appealing to U.S. President Barack Obama to take action to resolve the standoff at Standing Rock.
The open letter, posted Monday on Facebook, comes a few weeks after Young and his girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah, visited the site of the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The 71-year-old musician urged Obama "to step in and end the violence against the peaceful water protectors at Standing Rock immediately.”
He said: “Be like our brothers and sisters at Standing Rock. Be there if you can.”
Young wrote that "standing together in prayer to protect water displays a deeply rooted awareness of life's interconnected nature, and of the intrinsic value and import of traditional ways.
“This growing movement stems from love, it is the most human instinct to protect that which we love.”
Protesters, he said, are victims of “violent aggression” by law enforcement.
"Standing while being hit with water cannons, mace, tear gas, rubber bullets. Standing without weapons and praying, the water protectors endure human rights abuses in sub freezing temperatures.”
Young also criticized president-elect Donald Trump. “The surprise president claims he does not believe in climate science nor the threats it presents and his actions and words reflect that claim in tangible and dangerous ways," he wrote.
You can read Young’s full message here.