Anti-government groups, right-wing politicians and gun-rights activists in the United States have rallied around the cause of Cliven Bundy, a rancher accused by the U.S. government of illegally grazing his cattle for decades on public lands in the southern Nevada desert.
U.S. rangers began rounding up Bundy’s herd, but the operation was called off in the interest of safety after it led to a stand-off with armed protesters.
11 Apr 2014 . Bunkerville, United States. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
The dispute between Bundy (pictured above holding his grandson’s hand) and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management began back in 1993 when he stopped paying monthly fees of about $1.35 per cow-calf pair to graze public lands.
The government also claims Bundy ignored cancellation of his grazing leases and defied federal court orders to remove his cattle.
Bundy has said in legal documents that his right to graze the land predates the government's management of it, that he was "a citizen of Nevada and not a citizen of the territory of the United States."
The matter unresolved, in early April armed U.S. rangers were sent in to seize Bundy’s herd.
12 Apr 2014 . BUNKERVILLE, United States. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
But the federal operation was soon brought to a halt.
Bundy’s cause became a rallying cry for ultra conservatives and self-styled militias and hundreds of his supporters, some heavily armed, camped on the road leading to his ranch in the high desert.
Faced with these protesters, U.S. officials called off the seizure of Bundy’s herd and released the 300 or so animals they had already rounded up.
"We have made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious concern about the safety of employees and members of the public," the Bureau of Land Management's director, Neil Kornze, said in a statement.
13 Apr 2014 . BUNKERVILLE, United States. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
The dispute has tapped into long-simmering anger in Nevada and other big Western states rooted in the fact that vast tracts of their land are owned and governed by federal agencies.
In an interview before the bureau released his cattle, Bundy said he was impressed by the level of support he had received.
"I'm excited that we are really fighting for our freedom. We've been losing it for a long time," Bundy said.