Local woman stops Shell's work with concrete blockade

mayo | miscellaneous | press release Wednesday July 27, 2011 09:56 by Ann - Mayo Shell to Sea mayoshelltosea at gmail dot com Aughoose, Pollatomish, Mayo 0851141170

Local woman vows to protect families, blocking Shell's construction for the third consecutive day

This morning, Wednesday 27th July, at 7am, campaigners placed an enormous cement filled barrel or 'lock-on' in the middle of the road between Shell's Ballinaboy refinery and tunnelling compound at Aughoose. Two people are locked on to the barrel and it is expected that it will take the best part of a day before it can be moved. It is now stopping all truck deliveries between the two sites, seriously delaying Shell's work for the third day this week.

This is the start of programme of direct action by Mayo women for the next two years. We have no other choice to protect our families

This morning, Wednesday 27th July, at 7am, campaigners placed an enormous cement filled barrel or 'lock-on' in the middle of the road between Shell's Ballinaboy refinery and tunnelling compound at Aughoose. Two people are locked on to the barrel and it is expected that it will take the best part of a day before it can be moved. It is now stopping all truck deliveries between the two sites, seriously delaying Shell's work for the third day this week.

Mary Walsh, one of the people blockading the road this morning, said “This is the start of programme of direct action by Mayo women for the next two years. We have no other choice to protect our families.”

Two arrests were made in the first two days of Shell's attempt to begin construction this week. A woman was arrested after being removed from a tripod blockade on Monday. A second woman was arrested after a tractor was blockaded for almost two hours yesterday. The second campaigner was forcibly removed by Gardaí in a very unsafe manner. Yesterday's blockades began with four people in lock on tubes at 7am and by midday, only two trucks had been able to make deliveries to the compound. Continuous blockades have seriously impeded construction deliveries from 7am to 7pm each day.

Another campaigner blocking the road this morning added, ''On environmental, economic and social justice grounds this project is an affront to the Irish people''. He continued: ''We have to do whatever we can to make sure that this project does not go ahead. If that means placing our bodies in the road to blockade it ourselves, then we will do that.''

The protests will continue this week, building towards a mass Day of Action this Friday the 29th of July.

http://www.shelltosea.com/

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Maura Harrington 087 9591474 Terence Conway 086 0866264

The Shell to Sea Campaign has three main aims:

1) That any exploitation of the Corrib gas field be done in a safe way that will not expose the local community in Erris to unnecessary health, safety and environmental risks.

2) To renegotiate the terms of the Great Oil and Gas Giveaway, which sees Ireland’s 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent* off the West Coast go directly to the oil companies, with the Irish State retaining a 0% share, no energy security of supply and only 25% tax on profits against which all costs can be deducted.

3) To seek justice for the human rights abuses suffered by Shell to Sea campaigners due to their opposition to Shell’s proposed inland refinery. *This figure is based on the estimate, issued by the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources (DCENR) in 2006, that the amount of recoverable oil and gas in the Rockall and Porcupine basins, off Ireland’s west coast, is 10 BBOE (billion barrels of oil equivalent). Based on the average price of a barrel of oil for 2010 of $79, this works out at $790 billion, or €580 billion. This does not take account of further oil and gas reserves off Ireland’s south & east coasts or inland. The total volume of oil and gas which rightfully belongs to Ireland could be significantly higher. Also, as the global price of oil rises in the coming years, the value of these Irish natural resources will rise further.-- http://www.rossportsolidaritycamp.org/http://www.shellt....com/