Shell drilling work at Aughoose stopped again

mayo | environment | news report

Thursday May 26, 2011 11:58

by C - Rossport Solidarity Camp

rossportsolidaritycamp at gmail dot com

Aughoose

0851141170

On Tuesday afternoon (24th May), Shell work at the Aughoose compound was successfully stopped from 2pm for the rest of the day.

At 2pm a group from Rossport Solidarity Camp entered the Shell compound at Aughoose before the Shell workers who were carrying out boreholes on the land had returned from their lunch break.
Upon reaching the area where the borehole drilling was being carried out, the group were met with considerable violence from the IRMS security at the compound. When some of the group attempted to climb the fences, they were violently pulled down from the fences by security, with on at least 3 occasions protesters being grabbed around the neck and either choked or pulled down by the neck. On another occasion, one IRMS security guard, Paul Arkins (reportedly ex-RUC) punched one female protester straight in the face. However, despite the IRMS violence, 2 protesters managed to scale the fencing surrounding the drilling rig and climb the drilling rig. Two further protesters climbed onto the tractor which was just outside the compound.

Gardaí arrived down to the compound after about an hour but the protesters stayed on the tractor and drilling rig until after all the workers had gone home for the day. No attempt was made to remove the protesters from the equipment they occupied. After 6pm, the 4 protesters came down from there positions and were arrested and brought to Belmullet Garda station. The law that was used to arrest the protesters was anti-traveller laws that were brought in in 2002
(http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2002/en/act/pub/0009/sec....html). All 4 were released afterward without charge .

Meanwhile, the storm force winds that hit the camp on Monday morning (gusts of 144kph were recorded in nearby Belmullet), have cause a fair amount of damage on camp, with 2 marquees getting blown down. We will need help to prepare for the Party against the Pipe festival weekend which will be held on the June Bank holiday weekend. See http://partyagainstthepipe.wordpress.com/ for more details. If you have time to spare, then help would be really useful in advance of the festival weekend.

A great place for yoga

IRMS violence

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Comments (6 of 6)

More photos

by C - RSC

Thu May 26, 2011 12:06

Paul Arkins of IRMS who punched one female protester in the face

Gardaí continued to take orders from IRMS throughout the protest

Storm force winds on Monday morning causing damage on camp

Would this be yer man?

by Seanie

Fri May 27, 2011 11:44

I wonder who this might be?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/721...8.stm

Officer 'struck man with baton'

A police officer struck a man with a baton as he lay on the ground, a court has heard.

A Crown lawyer alleged Constable Paul Arkins used "excessive force" during the arrest of a man.

But the officer said the alleged victim, who had previous convictions for violence and armed robbery, posed a threat.

Mr Arkins, 39, whose address was given as Newtownabbey PSNI Station, denies inflicting actual bodily harm.

The court heard the victim started arguing with the officer, but it was while he was standing, "offering no threat", that he was grabbed from behind and put to the ground.

He made a complaint to the Police Ombudsman. When interviewed, Mr Arkins said he believed the man was going to lunge at him during the incident in August 2005.

However, a Crown lawyer said it was the prosecution case that the victim "presented no threat to the police officers at the time he was struck with the baton".

The case continues.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/d....html

more on Paul Arkins

by L

Sat May 28, 2011 21:02

Just adding this comment as someone who was involved in this action. During the initial stage of the action, while we were trying to get to the fences, I was pulled to the ground and pressed between two IRMS security guards and the fencing, while a third, Paul Arkin, wearing thick gloves, grabbed my head and tried to force his finger into my right eye. Hadn't realised he was the same security guard to have punched another protestor.

FACTUAL INCORRECT

by The Fixer

Tue Aug 30, 2011 22:07

wrong information on your site

Fixer schmixer

by Fearbolg - S2S

Thu Sep 01, 2011 17:26

This sort of ráiméis, where the likes of you cpmes on here castigating the site and using words like 'fairness' and 'integrity' in the case of
a snake like Arkins has been tried here regularly. It's classic Troll tactics. Cut to the chase and admit you're an apologist for a violent arsehole who couldn't hack it in a proper uniform so he's turned up here secure in the knowledge that he can knock a few women and old men around with impunity. It's the Garda way. and he's found a natural home.

Protestors of a very different kind are now confronting BP in Moscow

by W. Finnerty

Sat Sep 03, 2011 10:49

"BP's office had been disrupted for a second day Thursday as Russian bailiffs looked for a broad range of documents requested in a $3 billion lawsuit by investors in the oil company's Russian joint venture."

The above excerpt has come from the Wall Street Journal at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904583204....html

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Shell drilling work at Aughoose stopped again

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