Urgent call out! Shell have started work-Days of action this Fri 1st & Sat 2nd April

mayo | miscellaneous | feature

Tuesday March 29, 2011 21:31

by míol mór - Rossport Solidarity Camp

rossportsolidaritycamp at gmail dot com

We are calling for people to come up & join the protests.

Work Restarts in Mayo - Opposition Goes On!

Come up straight away or join us for the Days of Action this Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd April. Accomodation & food provided, donations welcome. email or txt 0851141170 for details.

The injustice faced by the community here is symbolic of the corruption and problems faced by people all over Ireland.

For a legal briefing see here http://www.rossportsolidaritycamp.org/content/legal-info

This morning Shell began to start work on their highly controversial on-shore pipeline at Aughoose in Erris Co. Mayo. Shell are attempting to build the fences around their planned tunneling compound and with construction on-going only a few hours, Gardai have already violently attacked protestors with two people currently receiving medical attention one with suspected broken ribs. Subsequent protests were broken up, by Gardai and private security, with Jim Farrell, former army ranger and managing director of private security firm IRM- S being personally involved.

This current work is the final attempt by Shell to drive a highly dangerous experimental unrefined raw gas pipeline through North Erris. Several other pipelines routes have been successfully resisted by the communities in Northern Mayo. This latest attempt in what Shell describe as the final proposal is worrying for a community who have experienced first hand Shell's poor safety record. This morning Shell are taking the first steps in a two year project in trying to fence off a large area at Aughoose. They intend to use this compound at the start point for a 5km tunnel that will run to the pipeline landfall at Glengad.

Shell is no doubt keen to act, given the almost daily criticism in the mainstream media of the terms of the deal they received from the Irish Government under the direction of Bertie Ahern and Ray Bourke. With a recent announcement in the UK that taxes on Oil and Gas production will rise, the Irish government is under ever increasing pressure to get a fairer deal for people in Ireland. This and the pending legal challenge are no doubt forcing Shell to hurry construction on the project which is already several years behind schedule.

The joint security from the Gardai and the secretive controversel private firm IRM-S is worrying. In 2009 the two individuals who featured heavily in the Film “The pipe” Patrick O Donnell and Willie Corduff were violently attacked. The attack on Mr O'Donnell saw his boat sank at sea by armed and masked men.

Shell choose their day to start construction carefully, when several campaigners were on their way to support Maura Harrington who has been summonsed for sentencing for charges that are now over a year old. This action is widely seen as blackmail by the State in an effort to end Mrs Harrington's resistence to the pipeline. The timing of Shell's action's today suggests they are being provided details of when court cases are happening, there have already been many arrests that have been timed to remove campaigners from the area at other key phases in the construction, most notably the 2008 and 2009 arrests of Pat O'Donnell while he worked at sea in order to allow the pipe lying ship the Solitaire to lie pipes across his fishing grounds.

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Comments (3 of 3)

Shell construction halted again in Erris as their own security vehicle is turned into a blockade

by Fin - WSM

Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:25

On the second day of intended works on the controversial Corrib gas project, Shell’s attempts to restart work have yet again been stopped. In an attempt to stop campaigners blocking access to the proposed compound site, private security firm IRM-S parked a vehicle in the gateway, hoping to remove the vehicle when workers attempted to gain access. At 7 o clock yesterday evening a member of Rossport Solidarity Camp turned the security vehicle into a blockade by locking onto the undercarraige of the vehicle stopping it from moving.

Continues at http://www.wsm.ie/c/shell-construction-halted-erris-sec...ckade

Friday mobilization from Dublin

by Andrew - Dublin S2S

Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:57

Dublin Shell to Sea is organising transport for people to travel to Erris for Friday if numbers permit. If you are interested please contact us ASAP at 086 7362417 or dublins2s@gmail.com

Days of direct action against Shell in Mayo

by S2S supporter

Sat Apr 02, 2011 20:41

Tearing Up The Tracks ( Saturday April 02, 2011)
2nd National Day of Action at Aughoose sees bogmat track removed under watching eyes of security guards
Today saw the 2nd National Day of Action at Aughoose Co.Mayo. Shell to Sea supporters from across the country tore up the track of bogmats vital to Shell work.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/99431

Shell’s work suspended by Day of Action (Friday April 01 2011)
This morning Shell’s work in Co. Mayo was suspended completely due to a National Day of Action
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/99426

Shell’s haulage stopped for 4 hours (Friday April 01 2011)
Campaigners halt transport of materials to new Shell compound
Yesterday Shell were blocked from transporting materials being used to build their new tunnelling compound at Aughoose.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/99425

Shell compound access blocked for 16 hours (Wednesday March 30, 2011)
Last night and this morning, Shell were blocked from accessing their newly created compound in Aughoose for 16 hours after a protester locked on underneath an IRMS security van that was blocking the entrance. Members of the local community and Rossport Solidarity Camp kept vigil throughout the night, worried that IRMS might try to use similar violence to the night that Willie Corduff was beaten up while under a lorry at the Glengad compound in 2009.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/99412

Rossport Abú

Shell compound access blocked for 16 hours

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Urgent call out! Shell have started work-Days of action this Fri 1st & Sat 2nd April

Comments (3 of 3)