Further Protest in Galway Against the Jailing of the Rossport Five.

galway | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Wednesday July 06, 2005 20:22

by Dunlo Tom - Shell to Sea

What's next in your Pipeline, Shell ?

After the Town Hall Theatre premiere of 'Big Plane Little Axe,' Margaretta D\'arcy's powerful documentary on anti-war activist, Mary Kelly, she ...

along with Galway luminary, Lelia Doolan, another noted anti-war activist, Nuria Mustapha Dunne and Galway City Councillor, Neill O' Brolchain (Green Party) led a healthy swathe of the viewers to the Shell oil depot in the docks to deliver a letter of protest against the depredations of Shell in Erris and to express solidarity with the Rossport Five - unfortunately, Mary could'nt attend due to pressing family concerns in Cork.

As we marched through Eglington Street - Kieran Cunnane of the Green Party leafletting the friendly pedestrians - Manel Mayol, Director of 'Switch Off' did'nt begrudge us his vociferous support. His strong documentary is being screened as part of the Film Fleadh and chronicles the eight year struggle of the indigenous Peheunche-Mapuche people of the Chilean Ralco valley against the Endesa hydro-electric company.

Text of Margaretta's letter : Five family men are in gaol; their families, wives, children, are equally prepared to go to gaol. The reason why they are in gaol - we now learn from the Irish Times - is that your company threatened to sue the Irish Government if the judiciary did'nt act on your behalf.

It is unthinkable that whoever reads this letter should be totally unable to understand the motives of these families. The fear they have of your pipes in the peatland is a vivid actuality, it is fear for their lives. Can you not understand?. Can you not become a human being and put yourself in their place?. All the ask is simple safety, a safe way of bringing the gas - and this can be solved by the simple decision to build your oil terminal in the sea. Can you not see that your disregard for safety shows utter contempt for human beings, and a mind so closed that humanity seems to mean nothing to you?. Can you not see that a safety report commissioned from a company linked to Shell can only reinforce the fear - and the contempt.

To hint that the opposers of your operations are acting upon a hidden agenda is despicable, the only hidden agenda is yours.

Why are you doing this?. Despite all the whitewash about care for the environment, your record is clear: you do not care for human beings - they are the necessary evil, to be blown up by faulty pipelines, or to be hanged by governments who abuse the law in your interests. If the Irish Government had power to hang people, would you not expect them to use it? - instead they must put these men in gaol.

You hide behind your shareholders; but your ruthlessness in pursuit of profit will in the end catch up with you - your contribution to the world will not be the beneficial gift of gas to the people but the flagrant disregard of their human rights, which will eventually be exposed and you will surely be brought to justice. Such disregard causes instability, violence and war: so long as there is injustice there will be resistance and government will not be able to protect the multi-nationals. Individuals working for the multi-nationals must in the end be held responsible before the courts, national and international; you have your own families, wives, children, think of yourselves in the same position as the Rossport Five, and reflect.