Shell's Illegal Works: While the Work Continues, So will the Resistance!

mayo | environment | news report Thursday May 21, 2009 00:35 by C & E & S - Rossport Solidarity Camp rossportsolidaritycamp at gmail dot com 0851141170

The summer in Mayo is under way and it's set to be a busy one. Come and be part of the resistance. So long as the work continues we will continue to resist it. We need as much help as we can get from anyone willing to offer it, therefore we will do our best to keep people up to date on the ongoing events. Below is a report on the ongoing illegal works in Broadhaven Bay and on Glengad beach, the Annual Solidarity Camp June Bank holiday Gathering, May 29th to June 1st, the courts, Maura Harrington's jailing and the oral hearing.

June Gathering Poster

Shell's Illegal Works
Dredging boats arrived in Broadhaven Bay on Sunday, May 10th, to start work on the trench which must be completed before the offshore pipe can be laid. The boats which belong to Van Oord, a Dutch company contracted by Shell, have been working on and off since then sometime in shifts of up to 48 hours. Erris In-Shore Fisherman’s Association blockaded Broadhaven Bay and Ballyglass pier for the last 2 days. The Van Oord boats include a suction dredger and two jack up barges. Several security boats and the occasional Garda boat accompany them. The Solitaire is expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Yesterday, a kayak team from Rossport Solidarity Camp paddled out to the suction dredger to talk with the crew about their motives, to inform them that the community does not welcome them here and there is no consent for the works being carried out. It took the rapid response security boats approximately an hour and a half to respond in their high speed boats, by which time the kayak team had tired of attempting to communicate, with the unresponsive crew.
Work continues daily at the illegal Shell E&P Ireland compound at Glengad Beach in Erris, County Mayo, with the unlicensed fencing being extended past the high-water mark and the cliff being broken on May 15th, for the third time in the nine years since the project began. Cranes and winches arrived on the site on Monday May 18th. The convoy of trucks and it’s strong Garda escort were delayed when two cars, which met it at an impassable point on the road, coming in the opposite direction, would not reverse to allow the trucks pass. Both cars were towed away by a Garda jeep.
While, it is very evident Shell and the State are eager to use everything they’ve got and can get away with, to push this project through illegally, with all their might and money, and that work is progressing on site and at sea, the spirit of the community still remains vigilant, the work is still being resisted and there are plans being made to keep up the disruption until justice and law is brought back to the area. Outside support is vital, the community will win it's right to peace and protection from danger or people will die due to shell/state violence and/or negligence, please do your best to ensure the former is realised, before the latter is inevitable.

Annual Solidarity Camp Gathering
The Rossport Solidarity Camp, has recently been set back up in Glengad, to facilitate the ongoing opposition to the project and encourage supporters from outside the area to visit. We are hosting our annual gathering, starting on May 29th, running to Monday 1st of June.
The gathering aims to encourage the many friends of the area, who have visited over the past years, back down to enjoy the place they have helped protect and let the local people know that they have not forgotten them. Also, to give people who haven’t been before, the opportunity to see the beautiful area, which the campaign hopes to save from environmental destruction, to meet the people who are under threat and find out the history of the area and campaign.
The weekend will include a variety of workshops, walks and talks, relating to the Shell to Sea campaign, climate crisis, social justice, activism and the surrounding area. There is also a great music line-up for Saturday and Sunday night. There will be the opportunity for people to act in solidarity with the camp and community, to oppose the illegal and immoral works, being carried out by Shell E&P Ireland, by taking Direct Action, but it is important to state there will be no obligation to involve yourself in anything you are not comfortable with and all people are encouraged to come and enjoy the event, regardless of their interest in taking part in any actions which may happen.
If you are interested in helping to run a kid friendly area, organising and preparing the food or can think of anything else you would like to contribute, please get in touch with us at the camp, through the contacts provided, here and on our website.
The full listings of the confirmed workshops and some of the music acts confirmed can be viewed on the website www.rossportsolidaritycamp.110mb.com and posters and flyers can be downloaded from the ‘Films and Resources’ section.

Court Report - 18th May 08

A special sitting of Belmullet District Court for Shell to Sea related cases was held on last Monday 18th May before stand-in judge, Judge Anderson. The first cases up for hearing was the charges of arson against Martin McDonnell, Niall Harnett and Maura Harrington, who were charged in relations to the burning of the nets at Glengad last July. There was video evidence of the 3 people charged of pulling up the net and Niall Harnett telling the security guard who was videoing that he planned to confiscate the net and for Shell to contact him if there was an issue. However there was absolutely no evidence presented that that any of the 3 people charged burned the net, while there was another 10 people present also who were on the beach. The judge dismissed all the charges as the prosecution had failed to prove their case.

The second set of cases of the day relates to incidents at the Glengad Gates compound on the 30th August 08 (see http://www.indymedia.ie/article/88894 for details), where Shell security and employees were stopped from entering the compound for a number of hours. In what can only be described as the highly selective charging of Shell to Sea protestors, Niall Harnett, Eoin O Leidhan and Maura Harrington were charged with blocking traffic (Section 9 of the Public Order Act (POA)) and not obeying the direction of a Garda (Section 8 of POA). First up to give evidence of how his jeep was blocked entering the site at approximately 7am, was IRMS founder Jim Farrell. Mr Farrell stated that Mr Harnett approached him and told him that he or other Shell workers would not be allowed on the Glengad compound as their work was illegal. Attempts were made under cross-examination to raise various issues regarding the security operation in Glengad however these attempts were stopped in their tracks by Judge Anderson. In their defence the Mr Harnett and Mr O Leidhin claimed “reasonable excuse”as justification for their actions on the day. In his evidence Mr O Leidhin stated that he believed the Glengad compound was illegal as it had no planning permission. He read from a Bord Gais Environmental Impact Statement for the Galway to Mayo pipeline which states

“1.3.3 Planning Permissions
The development by BGE of an underground gas pipeline, in accordance with a consent from the Minister under Section 8 of the Gas Act, is an exempted development under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Regulations. However this applies only to the pipeline and to ancillary equipment such as marker posts and cathodic protection posts. Planning permission will be required for the above ground installations (AGI) and construction compounds associated with the pipeline. BGE will be making application to Mayo and Galway County Councils for planning permission for these installations, in due course.”

However Judge Anderson failed to accept the “resonable excuse”from any of the defendents. He found Mr O Leidhin was found not-guilty of blocking traffic but guilty of failing to obey a direction from a Garda and fined him €250. He convicted Ms Harrington and Mr Harnett guilty on both charges, with sentecting being delayed on both. Mr Harnett is now due in Ennis court on the 8th of June to see whether a suspended sentence of 3 months from last year relating to an incident in Bellanaboy will be activated. Judge Anderson discribed Ms Harringtons behaviour on the day “bizarre” (without specifying what he thought was bizarre), and asked to see the report from the psychiatric assessment that she underwent while in Mountjoy.

The first noticable thing about the court day was on the selective nature of the charges that have been given out. In the first case of arson there was absolutely no evidence (either video or eyewitness) as to who started the fire that burned the net. It seems the Gardaí really wanted to get Niall Harnett for this and set out how to make a case fit. Luckily for Mr Harnett he was on the top of the cliff when the fire started at the bottom of the cliff and so couldn't have been the one to do it. In the second case, even though there was about 60 protestors present with alot of pushing and shoving going on on the day, the Gardaí only chose Maura Harrington and two long-term Rossport Solidarity Camp members to prosecute for the days events. It was clear from the videos displayed that Mr O Leidhan wasn't involved in any blocking of traffic and only's crime was that he ended up in a ditch he refused to get out of.

Maura's Jailing

After the court while Shell to Sea supporters were standing outside the courthouse, discussing the days event, two female Gardaí approached and arrested Maura Harrington for non-payment of fines. Ms Harrington was then brought firstly to Belmullet Garda station and then to Mountjoy. It's no coincidece that the Gardaí chose now to jail Maura, and it shows how highly co-ordinated with the Shell operation, their policing is.

Please send cards, letters, messages of support to :
Maura Harringon,
Dochas Centre,
Mountjoy Gaol,
North Circular Road,
Dublin 7

Oral Hearing

Yesterday, the preliminary meeting of the An Bord Pleanala oral hearing into the onshore section of the Corrib Gas pipeline, along with the compulsorily acquisition of the land to construct the pipeline. The morning session set out the rough time-frame for the oral hearing and who would be making submissions. During the afternoon session Shell and RPS began introducing their plans for the onshore pipeline. If anyone is particularly interested in making an oral submission to the hearing then contact us at Rossport Solidarity Camp.

Again anyone thinking of getting involved, now is the time to join us. Do whatever you can!!

Jack-up barge being towed into place

Glengad Beach - they now have fences to the sea

Some of the Shell boats