Jaden and Willow Smith protest controversial oil pipeline

Rapper/actor Jaden Smith and his sister Willow joined demonstrators in North Dakota on Monday (24Oct16) to protest the construction of a controversial oil pipeline.
Activists have been gathering at the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline in Sioux County for weeks to make their voices heard, after a federal judge recently rejected the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s request to halt construction, claiming the $3.8 billion project could taint water supplies and encroach on tribal burial sites.
This week, Will Smith’s two kids with actress wife Jada Pinkett Smith joined in the peaceful protests to support the indigenous people, and shared photos and video clips of the gathering on Instagram.
In the images, Willow can be seen holding a sign, reading, “No DAPL. Protect Our Water”, while the group chants, “Can’t drink oil, keep it in the soil.”
The young stars are the latest famous faces to join the fight against the pipeline, which will transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois. Actress Shailene Woodley helped to draw attention to the cause on 10 October (16), when she was among 27 people arrested at the construction site.
She was charged with one count of misdemeanour criminal trespass and one count of misdemeanour engaging in a riot, and her attorney entered a not guilty the plea on her behalf last week (ends21Oct16).
The actress has since been summoned to appear in a Mandan court on 25 January (16), when the case will go to trial.
If convicted, she faces two months in jail and $3,000 (£2,450) in fines.