The Occupation of Bellanaboy.

mayo | environment | news report

Tuesday October 03, 2006 19:04

by Eve, Bob and Niall. - Rossport Soldarity Camp / Shell to Sea.

rossportsolidaritycamp at gmail dot com

"This is no longer a public road, we own it now". Garda LM261

The myth of Shell’s newfound commitment to achieving “local consent” before proceeding with the Corrib gas project was utterly debunked this morning, as an army of around 200 police forcibly removed Shell to Sea protesters from their picket at the proposed Bellanaboy Corrib Gas refinery site. This underlines Shell’s disregard for the concerns of the majority of people in Mayo and reinforces the Shell to Sea prediction that the only way this project can go ahead is by the use of force. Clearly the state is more than willing to lend its strength to Shell to be used against the people it supposedly serves.

Amid reports that Shell would attempt to recommence work supported by significant numbers of police, Shell to Sea campaigners maintained their picket of the proposed refinery site overnight. Around three o’clock in the morning Gardai began to move into the Bellanaboy area in coaches. Around 200 Gardaí were transported to the site in coaches and vans and proceeded to swarm and occupy the whole area.

They erected blocks on the roads leading to the protest site and began the task of unloading crowd control barriers that were transported courtesy of local business man T.J. Carey. Some time before 5am Gardaí began forcibly removing cars that were parked near the entrance to the site. After offering owners an opportunity to remove their vehicles, cars were towed away using a tractor. At least one car was visibly damaged by the clumsy attempts of ‘car removal by tractor’. Other cars pulled while in gear and with the hand-brakes on, await inspection by mechanics for unseen damage.

At about 5am Shell to Sea protesters gathered in front of the gates of the refinery faced by line of Gardaí, The police assembled crowd control barriers on either side of the refinery entrance creating two corrals. Soon after at approximately 5:20am site security (Brenden Gilmore Security) began the process of changing shifts. Shell to Sea has always allowed site security to enter and exit the site unimpeded. Despite this, Gardaí felt it necessary to forcibly form a corridor through the crowd of protesters to facilitate the security change over. Two lines of police pushed their way into the protesters linking arms and aggressively pushing campaigners to the side and squashing the crowd against a line of parked cars to either side. One young woman, Mary Coyle aged 20, was injured in the crush as a police officer’s arms choked against her neck. She suffered neck abrasions and deep shock. She was attended to at the site by Dr Jerry Cowley TD, who despite informing the police at the road-block that he was a doctor answering a call for medical assistance, was refused permission to drive his car to the site and had to walk hundreds of yards carrying his medical bags while Mary sat gasping for breath on the ground and in a car at the site. After waiting for almost an hour in distress an ambulance arrived at 6:20 to take her to hospital for further treatment.

As the ambulance pulled off through the crowds of luminous coated cops, Shell to Sea campaigners who were gathered at the gate tightened in formation. Garda Supt. Joe Gannon approached the crowd and requested that protesters move to behind the barriers from where they could exercise their ‘right to protest’. After it became apparent that campaigners were unlikely to acquiesce he then asked that ‘children, elderly people and females’ move to the back of the crowd in light of possible ‘confrontation’. Protesters immediately sat down in front of the gates. Supt. Gannon then ordered in ‘the lifting squad’ and one by one protesters were carried off and deposited behind the crowd control barriers.

Once all protesters had been deposited into the fenced off corrals the police completed the task of towing away cars which were blocking the entrance to the site. Around 7:45am a procession of minibuses, jeeps and cars carrying the workers entered the site, met by disapproving shouts from the crowd. This was swiftly followed by a series of flatbed trucks carrying diggers and work equipment. By 8:20 campaigners were released from the corrals.

Today’s protest was entirely peaceful on behalf of Shell to Sea. The only violence came from Shell’s state provided security. The aggressive way in which they facilitated the change over of site security was evidently calculated to provoke a response from protesters. The injury and subsequent hospitalisation of one young woman in the fracas was not the only incident of police brutality this morning. Many commented on their rough handling by the ‘lifting squad’ as they were carried and dragged away from the refinery gates. Philip McGrath sustained a broken finger as he was wrenched from a seated position and carried to behind the barriers. TD Jerry Cowley was very vocal in his criticisms of garda behaviour and complained of being manhandled by the police despite his position as an elected public representative.

In a radio debate today between Shell’s PR man John Egan and Shell to Sea’s spokesperson Mark Garavan, the point was clearly made that the strong arm tactics exemplified by Shell and An Garda Siochana this morning merely emphasise the continuing disregard for public opinion. A door-to-door survey carried out by campaigners found that the overwhelming majority of residents of the Erris region support Shell to Sea, a finding backed by a recent TG4 poll, which showed 61% support across Mayo for the campaign. Towards the end of the debate, Egan made an inference that the door-to-door canvas had been an intimidation exercise; when challenged by Garavan he insisted that he had not meant to allege criminality and apologised. Mark Garavan remarked on the nature of John Egan’s comments as setting a new low in the standard of media argument.

Egan also commented on the number of English accents he had heard on the picket-line earlier in the morning, as though being in possession of an English accent disqualifies one from having a say on this matter although not as if one’s surname is Pyle, evidently. This is a weak attack on people from outside the area who have flocked to offer their support, which has proved more valuable to the people of Erris than the illusory benefits offered by Shell.

Earlier in the summer Shell announced their intention to recommence work in September, an aspiration which they failed to realise. For the month of September and for over fifteen months Shell have been unable to work due to constant pickets by Shell to Sea. This mornings events are not a defeat. Shell’s entrance to the site was only made possible by the deployment of large-scale force courtesy of the state. The only way in which Shell will be able to build this refinery is by the constant deployment of this same state force. It will necessitate the permanent occupation of the Bellanaboy area by hundreds of Gardaí for the next two to three years, which Shell say would take to build the refinery. It is Shell to Sea's firm intention to continue and maintain the resistance at Bellanaboy. While the police are following orders, this community is fighting for its very existence.

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Comments (29 of 29)

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Come to Mayo..community under siege by Gardai and corporations

by S2S - Shell to Sea

Tue Oct 03, 2006 09:57

Editor's Note: This initial report was sent to www.indymedia.ie newswire just after the Garda action, and has been posted here to tidy up newswire. One woman hospitalised this morning News is coming in this morning that several hundred Gardai acting in support of Shell and Statoil have sealed of the site of the proposed Bellanaboy gas terminal. The movement of people has been restricted and one local woman has been hospitalised in the early hours. There are now over 200 people at the site with others prevented by Gardai from getting near the site. The government and police force are now actively engaged in threatening a local community. They are attempting to force a highly flawed project that will have little or no financial benefit to the country as a whole. This situation is likely to escalate in the coming hours and days. Please act!

more pics

by Niall & Eve

Tue Oct 03, 2006 19:11

Apologies for lack of quality due to the darkness and the manhandling.

Cops arrive by the coachload.

Tue Oct 03, 2006 19:21

Police remove cars using a tractor ...

... causing damage to Kevin Moran's jeep.

Police attention back on the protesters ...

... with force.

Tue Oct 03, 2006 19:27

Look hard at this pic for Mary's head thrown back and a cop's arm at her throat.

Note damage to Mary's throat.

Jerry Cowley tends his patient.

Off to hospital.

Tue Oct 03, 2006 19:30

The picket re-tightens in front of the gates.

Protesters sit down.

Tue Oct 03, 2006 19:39

Terence Conway gets the treatment.

Imy Corduff.

Treasa Ní Ghearraigh.

Micheál Ó Seighin.

Aron, cool as a cucumber filming away under pressure.

Here's the detail of the young woman being choked

by Helper

Tue Oct 03, 2006 19:44

The choking by a garda of a young woman

Head thrown back by neck. Very dangerous.

Tue Oct 03, 2006 19:46

Uncle Tom.

Liam Corduff.

Mary Corduff.

Philip Mc Grath nursing a broken thumb.

Even 'Observer' Sr Majella Mc Carron gets penned in.

Tue Oct 03, 2006 20:01

Maura.

Dr Jerry Cowley TD on the phone to Joe Higgins TD in the dáil ...

complaining about the harassment he got from Garda CK 151.

Our 'protest specialist' & 'outside agitator' - Sgt. Conor O'Reilly.

Last of the pics.

Tue Oct 03, 2006 20:14

Ok, trucks in is a setback. Shell to Sea.

Mary blockaded from her home from home, the trailer.

Shell's John Egan in a media scrum with the Ogoni 9 ... again

Mike Cunningham, ex-Statoil, penned in despite holding a press card.

State pawns on the move.

by A

Tue Oct 03, 2006 21:21

170+ police
for a peacefull protest?
pardon me for being confused as to why that number of gardai was needed.
at that time of the night im sure there was more than enough crime to be handled the country over, curious that they all just happen to have been brought to a scene where there is so few "offenders"

Photos paint an ugly picture of modern Ireland

by cool j

Tue Oct 03, 2006 22:18

Any right minded person can only be shocked and appaled at the above photos of state thugs doing Shell's dirty work. The distress and injury on the young girls and the local people cowering while surrounded by the so-called law are a watershed in the history of this country. The message has gone out loud and clear form the pseudo "Irish" government that the interests of the rich and powerfull will always win out against the health, safety and environment of ordinanry citizens and brute force will be applied to anyone who dares to question this reality!! - A day which shows Ireland has come full circle from the war of indepenence to being servile to a new oppressor in the form of big-business.

Assault on Mary

by ken - supporter

Wed Oct 04, 2006 00:41

Is it against the law to assault another person?. If that is the law then the Officer that had Mary caught around the neck causing injury should be identified and brought to court for this unlawfull action. Is it also against the law to cause damage to another persons property? If so then the opperator of the tractor that damaged the jeep should be brought to court for criminal damage. Is it also against the law to Rape, Rob and Pillage? If so then why are all these gaurds in Ballinaboy and not out catching these real criminals. It realy makes me sick to see this abuse of our gaurda force in order to accomadate the large companies like Shell in their crimes on humanity. Fair play to all the people that turned up in the dead of night to try to protect their childrens lives and their futures and their lands. Keep it up.

Are the Gardai reserve getting this training.

by pseud

Wed Oct 04, 2006 06:33

Pressing on windpipes and bending fingers to breaking point, favoured tactics of Gardai delivered with a smile. It looks to me like the the protest was well thought through deciding to simply sit and be carried away, and keeping to the rossport wishes..

posting peoples names

by sqirrrello

Wed Oct 04, 2006 18:39

i know this is a niggling point but i dont think its really a good idea to put people's names up on indymedia, i know some of them have been nicked and the police will have their details anyway but those who didnt now have their names there for the police who will definetley be checking this site.

other than that, fucking well done for holding out so long, its an inspiration to see that the campaign is still going!

peace and love

squirrello

Enough is Enough

by len - Reality Inc

Wed Oct 04, 2006 19:34

Belmullet HiJacked by Sinn Fein?

All in Bellnaboy you have had your say,

Any right minded citizen should be furious at spending so much for 170 gardai to police this assembly of lunatics.

I propose we send in the Dept of Social Welfare to remove benefits for those attending this sham of a protest. The rest of us in mayo know your not happy that you did not get the financial benefit from the developement you wanted. If shell wouldnt rescue you then its a dog in the manger senario.

Dr Coveny, equally as hyprocritical as many of the peers he is trying to out shine, his critique of the current gov and their ignoring the plight of north mayos unemployed on one hand, his support of a protest affecting the employment of people in the same area! clearly something deeply wrong here.

Well done to the Guards,

I look forward to heating my home to home grown gas!!

ien

by matt

Wed Oct 04, 2006 20:16

the employment could equally have been offered the people of the area if the gas had remained the property of Ireland, or if the government had taken a proactive role in developing the local economy...the only difference is now you get to pay whatever Shell decides you should pay for the right of burning your homegrown gas, the irish people will not benefit from sales abroad or at home of the home grown gas and going by shells record you will either be a) blown up by your homegrown gas or b)poisoned by polluted water caused by shells processing of aforementioned homegrown gas. the protesters are not anti- employment of local people or anti- extraction of the gas from the corrib gas field. They are anti giving away our gas to international mutinationals, against building an experimental pipeline 30ft from peoples houses and through environmentally protected areas, and against the fact that the government are too blind or incompetent to admit what a big mistake they have made.
Besides your arguments are based on what exactly....any employment is good employment?

At least you got one thing right...
"Any right minded citizen should be furious at spending so much for 170 gardai to police this assembly of lunatics. "
I'm furious for having to pay for the protection of a mutlinational corporation but one would do nicely to remember that this is a tactic long employed by Shell-getting the government to fight their battles for them and supply security so that shell can maximise their profits-(Nigeria anyone?) Whose interests is the government protecting? not the irish peoples that's for sure?
34% increase in the price of gas and that's likely to keep increasing and what have the irish government done ....given ours away practically for free....

Support in Uk

by mike d - solidaritypark

Thu Oct 05, 2006 13:19

I can only do my bit here in the UK but I will avoid buying petrol from any shell garage and in the next few days will post a request for others to do the same on our site www.myspace.com/solidaritypark
power to the people who stand up to the powerful

Len - the scab labourer

Thu Oct 05, 2006 13:36

Those small number of of so called local's will be unemployed again when the thing is built. The fact is that most of the people actually working on the site are contractors form outside the area - mainly Limerick where roadbridge are based. Once its up and running, the area can kiss goodbye to jobs in tourism(which i a pity as its just about to really take off here), fisheries and small builders as land and property prices crash within miles of Shell's abomination!! -

PS - Already on certain german tourist sites Erris is listed as a place to avoid given the over-bearing presence of SHell in the area.

Ken- assualt on Mary.

by NUMBER 42. - LEGALISE FREEDOM CAMPAIGN

Thu Oct 05, 2006 15:06

Ken. The real Criminals are in the Dail and the Courts. Really . I know it may be a bit of a surprise but these are the facts. The Gardai protect the real Criminals

The first Garda Commissioner was a decent guy, Michael Staines, who quoted, ...' an Garda Siochana shall not succeed by force of Arms or numbers , but , as moral servants of the People'. (not exact).
(this is on a Plaque in Dublin Castle outside the carraige office), take a photograph as soon as possible , it may disappear very soon, especially after this Article.

Anyway, as expected Staines did'ent last to long.

The second Garda Commissioner and co-founder of an Gardai and the Blueshirts was Eoin O'Duffy. He was the Leader of the Blueshirts (Blueshirts being the origin of the Fine Gael Party ), a bunch of Fascists dedicated to Hitler and his mob who murdered innocent men , women and Children in Spain on behalf of Franco.

TODAY....? SPOT THE DIFFERENCE. Are things any different? NO.

We'll upload a photo of these later on today for all to see. Even Bishops blessed the bastards with a Nazi salute.
See it later only on ..indy.

A local Resident

by Jimmy Gruddy - Belmullet resident

Thu Oct 05, 2006 19:27

jimmyg at campus dot ie

09782201

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to the year 2006 - The 21st century. The day of poverty is long gone OR IS IT.
I am a local concerned resident from the site of the proposed gas terminal. Am i in favour NO - Should i be in favour- YOU TELL ME

The landscape of my locality has been destroyed by scruffy protesters favouring the Shell to sea campaign begging for money. Have these people not got jobs. Is the age of the celtic tiger and low unemployment these people are milking the system. I and my fellow taxpayers ought to be disgusted by these wasters.

I believe one of these protesters is a school teacher and spends most of her time with the campaign. I do not want my children to suffer because of this. Does she not realise the damage she is doing to the youth of todays lives by having all her time consumed with HER popularity campaign.

I am looking forward to the day that we can return to normality in this peaceful locality with this wonder amenity( the gas terminal) in situ.

If you wish to discuss this with me dont hesitate to call 0864084294
Mise le meas
Seamus

Well done! One honest person

by JM

Thu Oct 05, 2006 20:20

Rossport

I congratulate Jimmy Gruddy on his honesty, but I will refrain from dialling that tempting telephone number for the sake of peace.

The only "wonder" of this gas project is that it is still alive in spite of a sea of oppostion, both emotional and technical.

Oil and gas is a curse on the people of any country in which it is found (with Norway probably being the only exception, although they are not without their own industry problems).

I hope those who share this man's views are willing to open their minds to the possibility that none of this would be happening if the Corrib project did not exist. The proof of it's destructive power lay within these pages and in various media outlets across the country and the globe, and in the tears of despair and frustration that have been shed over the last seven years.

As for the comments about those who have come to help the people of Rossport and it's surrounds, the sad fact is that their help is needed because of the willful blindness to truth displayed by our fellow Erris natives, and who will also be victims of the destrution of our environment whether they want to admit it or not.

protesters abu

by kilcommon resident

Thu Oct 05, 2006 22:02

to all those donkeys that believe that the protestors are all on the dole, shame on you. 98% of us are all working and earn more money in 1 week that these pro-shell murderers earn in a month so money is not behind this campaign. the simple fact that this refinery will slowly kill everyone from Erris to Killala and south to westport. toxic gases that cause lung cancer , asthma, brain damage, miscarriages, child illness, to name a few are released every second of every day forever, THIS PROJECT WILL NEVER GO AHEAD and anyone that supports this project as it stands is signing their names on our death warrent, can ye live with that on yer heads? The protests not blockages will continue until shell realise that they dont have the consent of the Kilcommon people, 900 names and more to come in the protectors stronghold (2000 people live in Kilcommon). SHELL OUT!

take london, take amsterdam, solidarity with other shell struggles

by MW - shell to hell - rising roar

Thu Oct 05, 2006 22:49

everyone - go to the belly of the beast as soon as you can, for far away you can stop the pipeline, but noone can hear you scream, take london and take amsterdam. shell is registered in the netherlands and noone is doing anything about shell there, and hardly anyone has heard of your struggle -appart from some activists. go bring their shit to their faces.

hopefully we'll be around to help. it wont be difficult to find logistics support.

all the best to everyone

la tierra se esta muriendo = earth is dying

petroleo=oil

Pemex=mexican oil company

que los ductos explotan frecuentemente, "pero ni el gobierno ni su prensa lo dan a conocer, aunque contaminan y destruyen gravemente nuestros suelos" = that the pipelines explode frecuently, "but neither their press nor the government let it be known, even when they contaminate and gravely destroy our land.

"No les bastó con tenernos olvidados y en la miseria. Ahora hicieron la trampa para quitarnos la tierra. No sólo a través de Pemex, sino de empresas turísticas y centros comerciales. El mensaje que traemos es que no hay que conformarse con una limosna, o un cambio político. Vamos a cambiar todo el país y unir nuestras luchas los que estamos iguales." = it was not enough fort them to have us forgotten and in misery. now they lay the trap down to take away our land. not just thru PEMEX, but thru tourist companies, and shopping centres. the message that we bring is that we musnt satisfy ourselves with alms or a political change over. we are going to change the whole country and all those who are equal, unite our struggles.

organizate=organise

esperanza=hope

alegre rebeldia = merry rebeliousness

Nosotros dijimos que no=we said no

todo=everything

solidaridad = solidarity

organise=win

walking doctors

by neutral - none

Fri Oct 06, 2006 01:30

i was interested to see that in both local papers in mayo and indeed on this website it is stated that dr gerry crowley was left to walk from the road block to the main gate of the shell site to tend to a woman who was supposed to have been injured in a confrontation with gardai. dr crowley was in fact delivered in a garda jeep directly to the gate of the site to treat the woman.. this i saw with my own 2 eyes.. it does not help the cause by printing remarks such as this. i find it hard to believe that i was the only person who saw this jeep pull up at the entrance to the site and the doctor alight from the state supplied transport! on another point.. the superintendent made a request for all women, children and elderly persons to move from the sit down protest or they would be removed by the gardai.. this most of them refused to do. it is not a church picnic, people inevitably will experience some form of discomfort , possible injury if moved against their will. no garda that i could see went out of his way to injure any person at the site and to sugest that it was a display of police brutality is in no way fair. indymedia like all other media has a duty to report the truth not what it wishes to report. i would hope that this comment will be posted as there is not an untruth kind in it. i am not pro shell, pro bp or pro anyone. the reality of the situation in rossport is that shell have every legal right to enter the construction site. they have gone through all the legal procedures required to commence work at this site. to obstruct their entry to the site is, under irish law an offence. unless the laws of the land are changed this will remain so. not to publish my comments would be an indication that this site wishes to reflect one side only of this situation which would not do the credibility indymedia any favours.. lets be fair

Neutrality

by Tadhg

Fri Oct 06, 2006 04:26

The imprisonment of the Rossport Five was perfectly legal too.

But just because something is legal does not make it right. I presume you know there were once quite strict laws preventing Catholics from owning property over a small monetary value in this country.

Women used to not be allowed to vote.

Catholics couldn't worship openly.

The Irish language was suppressed.

Africans were enslaved.

All these practices were ended by protest- I wonder if you would have been neutral about them too?

As fro Jerry Cowley having to walk to treat the protester who was injured- he said the same thing himself and RTÉ reported it. Is it possible that he had to walk for some distance BEFORE the guards picked him up ?

Tadhg

by number 5 - legalise freedom campaign

Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:47

I may be repeating myself.

It may have been legal to jail the five but it is unlikely that it was lawful.
It was repugnent to the Constitution under Article 40.

Our Constitution is our Law and I cannot understand to this Day why the People in Mayo do not carry a copy of Bunreacht on their Person , hold it up to the Gardai ( who sworn an Oath to it in Templemore) and invoke Art.40 , put it on the record in the Courts and the Dail through registered Mail.

Maybe then would the Gardai realise that they are being used to userp the Law and are open to be prosecuted themselves for violating that Oath and acting unlawfully.

The only obsticle between a Soverign Republic and Marshal Law at this moment is Our Constitution.

It needs to be INVOKED. NOW.

Question

by BlackBob - The Diggers

Fri Oct 06, 2006 14:40

I noticed in one of the photos that transport for the cops appears to have been provided by McNulty´s coaches. I was just wondering if these are the same brothers who drove busses to Genoa for the g8 a number of years ago. If so i must applaud them upon their truly mercenary and un-principled position.

RE: walking doctors

Sat Oct 07, 2006 02:09

Just to clarify some genuine points raised.

Dr. Cowley stated he had to walk the majority of the way to the scene after being delayed at the roadblock, but was indeed eventually picked up (probably for shame's sake).

The lady injured at the gates was caught in a crush entirely of the Guards' making, when they thrust through the group of protestors while they were making way for the usual security staff changeover. This also happened BEFORE Superintendent Gannon gave his sexist comment about women moving aside (no children were in the melee).

Additionally, Mary Horan was roughly man-handled whilst washing teacups in the trailer... the same trailer from which Gardaí had drank tea (delivered by Mary) just the previous Friday.

Mary Horan delivering tea to the cops last week

Mary's injuries after being hauled from the trailer this week

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Comments (29 of 29)