Protesters arrested in U.S. back in Prince George

Despite fears from family and friends their criminal charges would keep them south of the border, two Prince George students are back home.

Nicole Schafenacker and Katriona Siloen Auerbach are facing the prospect of crossing that border again to answer to three charges filed against more than 100 people in a mass arrest a week ago in North Dakota.

The UNBC graduate students are each charged with conspiracy to endanger by fire or explosion, engaging in a riot and maintaining a public nuisance, like most protesters arrested on Oct. 27, Schaf- enacker confirmed.

They had made the trip a week before to protest the Dakota Access pipeline, a $3.8-billion, four-state project designed to carry oil from North Dakota to Illinois, but were arrested Thursday and spent three days in jail, before being released on Saturday.

Earlier this week, their professor, Sarah de Leeuw, said allegations of conspiracy — a felony — were especially concerning.

“These weren’t women who were somehow criminally or nefariously connected. They are two local Prince George women, outstanding graduate scholars and they went because they followed their heart and convictions. … There’s no conspiracy there.”

They are two ... outstanding graduate scholars and they went because they followed their heart and convictions.