Ranchers in Stand Off with Feds in Oregon - from TRUNEWS

A group of over 100 ranchers have holed up at the U.S. wildlife refuge in Princeton, Oregon to protest the jailing of two ranchers.

It began Saturday after a protest in Burns, Oregon.  The group split with the rest of the crowd and began the occupation at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to support Dwight Hammond, Jr. and his son Steven.

The two were convicted of arson in 2012 for setting fires that spread to public land. On Saturday they turned themselves in to federal authorities after prosecutors won an appeal which resulted in their resentencing to longer terms, even though they both served their time.

They said they set the fire to burn off invasive species, but that the blaze unintentionally spread to public lands.

The current stand-off is being led by Ammon Bundy, the son of Cliven Bundy whose family staged an armed protest in April 2014 when the Bureau of Land Management seized their cattle for refusing to pay grazing fees.

In a YouTube video, one of the participants, Blane Cooper said the ranchers are standing up to “tyranny”, according to RT News.  The video has since been removed.

“This could be a hope that spreads through the whole country,” he said.

Federal authorities have not said how they plan to respond.  The occupiers say they do not plan on using violence.

The post Ranchers in Stand Off with Feds in Oregon appeared first on TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles.

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