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Ex Gama workers join Statoil protest

category national | miscellaneous | news report author Wednesday July 13, 2005 15:26author by Kevin Wingfield - Ballymun Gama Solidarity Groupauthor email kevinwingfield at eircom dot netauthor phone 086-3074060

A number of former Gama strikers visiting Ireland joined Ballymunners on a Free the Rossport Five protest at Statoil Ballymun on Tuesday at 5.30pm

About 10 local activists and some of their children were joined by three former Gama strikers on the protest. Old friendships were renewed as we knew each other from the long running strike earlier this year and were involved in support work for the Gama strikers.
Only a small number of vehicles crossed the picket -- mostly commercial vhicles with contracts with Statoil.
Many cars and lorries coming and going to the busy motorway intersection sounded their horns in support.
I personally was on Saturday's protest in Belmullet when over 2,000 people shut the town down. Few if any shops were open. The whole community was demanding Shell to Sea.
Thoughts of immovable objects and rristible forces crossed my mind. We need to have this campaign taken to the four corners of the land.
Kevin Wingfield
ps Yes I'm a member of the SWP but I posted this on behalf of the whole group of demonstrators, so spare us the usual sneers.

Comments (4 of 4)

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no sneers
author by Roddypublication date Thu Jul 14, 2005 20:06author address author phone

thanks for posting Kevin. It would be good to hear more from Ballymun which seems to have a good activist base. I would imagine that the people of Ballymun are going to get about as much out of the regeneration of their town as the people of Rossport are going to get out of Shell.

3 GAMA
author by Anonpublication date Fri Jul 15, 2005 19:57author address author phone

Yes Kevin three ex-GAMA strikers who are now members of the Socialist Party

signs of maturity on the left at last
author by roddypublication date Fri Jul 15, 2005 20:26author address author phone

well it's good that the socialist party were there if that's the case. It just goes to show that the SP isn't as sectarian as it is sometimes painted. Issues like the jailing of these Mayo men and the Gama dispute go beyond the divisive holier- than -thou politics that made the left a laughing stock for so many years .

shell vs rossport
author by gerry - napublication date Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:50author email gerardbambrick at eircom dot netauthor address author phone 0719667165

this morning in scotland on sunday they run a story that patients are waiting 4 weeks for a catscan . while oil companies can get the same work done in the hospital on rocks in one hour

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