Today's news from Glengad, Erris, Co. Mayo
mayo |
environment |
news report 
Sunday August 31, 2008 22:08
by FSB! & TD - RSC
A lunchtime Garda visit to Solidarity Camp & evening blockade of Shell compound
Today's main news events from the epicentre of resistance against Shell - a visit about lunchtime from the Garda brass (plus lackeys inc. roving video operator), later a practice run for the Shell to Sea flotilla, followed by a blockade of Shell's Glengad compound in the evening.
Today at about 1pm a delegation of Gardai called to the Rossport Solidarity Camp, ostensibly about informing campers of section 8.1 of the Public Order Act. While annoyed by their presence on the camp, the Gardai were prevented from snooping around the marquees, though the use of a video camera by Gda. Burke (old foe) to follow young children around roused righteous ire in their parents. Once they delivered their utterly pointless message they were escorted off the site to the road and their waiting squad car and van.
In the late afternoon, S2S Flotilla exercises were held off the Glengad compound and the marine protest/action squadron used the fine weather today to sharpen their nautical skills. Exercises lasted an hour, followed by a quick shower and off to the next S2S activity.
At 6:45 pm local residents and Rossport Solidarity Campers mounted a blockade of the gates of the Shell Glengad compound. This caught the Gardai off balance, and they deployed only in sparse numbers, very slowly, and remained firmly ensconced in their vehicles. After an hour of blockading, locals and campers returned to the Solidarity Camp for tonight's party on the foreshore (a celebration of our mutual capacity for resistance to the corporate juggernaut and a bit of R&R too!).
Still no sign of the Solitaire. The clock is well-burnt now - she remains in Killybegs harbour but she's still a looming threat that must be met.
The need for people to come here and help in the struggle to save Erris and stop the Great Gas Robbery remains urgent. Come to Glengad if you can!
Gardai being escorted off site
Comments (5 of 5)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5Photos by TD. Caption by a tired FSB!
Blockading the gates - having a look over
Assembled blockaders - a good turn-out for Sunday evening
PJ and the Chief - immovable obstacles to Shell
Musical protest at Glengad compound
Today's Irish Times (1st Sept '08) is reporting that the Gardaí have asked for help from Interpol to identify some of the overseas protesters who have flocked to Mayo to support the Shell to Sea campaign and the local community. Photos are being passed on to Interpol for comparison. Pathetic stuff really!
Well done people.
Get pro-active:
Get some powerful portable halogen lights to shine into the Garda camera lens
when they try to film you. If you do it right, you blind their equipment permanently.
But continue to do it as a policy.
Get legal advice. I think they cannot insist on names if they cannot show due cause.
Seek a legal injunction against garda encroachment on site unless a crime is "likely to happen or has happened". This will help with objections to giving names etc.
Obtain name rank and station and number of all gardai involved. Get everyone to demand the manes and details, individually, of all gardai. Even the children have this right and the right to write it down, step by step, no matter how long this takes. If they refuse, they are acting illegally and cannot ask for your names while so acting. Catch 22 !
Do not let them trace my e-mails !!
You only have to listen to the accents and the foreign languages being spoken to realise that many of those currently in Glengad are from South Africa, Israel, Britain and further afield. These people have no connection to this country and will move on when the next protest flares up. Of course that's just the security guards.
(Why did the cops release that information about Interpol to the press I wonder? A strategy of portraying this as a local problem that is being interfere with by outsiders maybe? Do they think Shell, Marathon and Statoil/Norsk Hydro are all locals compnanies? Are the profits from the gas going to stay in Ballina? Anyway, what other information is being leaked to journalists, and why is all in Shell's interests? It couldn't be that some police are on Shell's payroll could it?)
Get some powerful portable halogen lights to shine into the Garda camera lens
I can see why it frustrates you, but spending time and money on that type of thing is just lowering yourself to their petty level, and distracts from more productive activity. The whole reason Garda Bourke is bringing that camera in so close is purely to annoy people, and distract them. He could stand further away and use the zoom, but he's just there to annoy people, and to provoke them and hopefully get them arrested.
If asked for your name, don't give it unless they give their name, and confirm that they're asking in an official capacity. Otherwise, don't entertain them, and tell them you're busy, and just ignore them.
Shell would love the campers to spend our time being annoyed with cops, and security guards, but having met the the Shell to Sea campers I can see that they are not that silly.
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