Shailene Woodley's 'peaceful protest' goes horribly wrong

US actress Shailene Woodley. Photo / AFP

Shailene Woodley has been arrested for trespassing.

The 24-year-old actress was protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, which aims to transport crude oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota and Iowa into Illinois, crossing the Missouri River.

The star was among a reported 100 protestors who turned up to the construction site for a peaceful protest, amid concerns that the pipeline project could potentially cause irreversible harm to the drinking water for the Standing Rock community - who live just one mile from the river - as well as the river's ecosystem.

In a video posted by TMZ.com, the Divergent star said: "I was just walking back to the RV which is right there, so we could go back to camp peacefully. They grabbed me by the jacket and they said I wasn't allowed to continue. They have giant guns and batons and zip ties and they're not letting me go."

The Fault in Our Stars actress then asked a police officer if she could talk to him, and he told her she was being "placed under arrest".

The officer said: "We can't talk right here, but right now you're being placed under arrest for criminal trespassing, alright?"

Shailene then asked the officer why she is being arrested, when she claims that - out of the reported 100 protestors - "no-one else is".

The officer responded: "Because you were identified."

Shailene Woodley and Theo James in Divergent.

The beauty then proceeded to tell the camera that she was being placed under arrest because she was "well known".

She said: "I'm being arrested. Because I was trespassing, like everyone else. But as soon as you guys asked me to leave, I left.

"I'm being arrested! I was down there with everybody else! I don't know what's going on, as soon as they came I left. It's because I'm well known, it's because I have 40,000 people watching."

Shailene isn't the first star to protest the pipeline plans either, as the cast of DC Comic's ensemble movie Justice League - comprised of Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller - recently posted a video urging people to get involved in the movement to stop the proposed plans.

Shailene Woodley stars in the film, The Fault in Our Stars.

Ezra Miller said in the video: "As a gang of earth defenders, we want to send a big shout out to the Oceti Sakowin and those who stand with them in opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline. To get involved with this movement go to thesacredstonecamp.org."

- Bang! Showbiz