"They Can Not Purge"

galway | rights, freedoms and repression | feature

Friday August 12, 2005 09:35

by Áine Ní Sheighin

'This is about justice, about true democracy'

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Comment from Áine Ní Sheighin Friday, Aug 12 2005, 12:27am on this story:

Micheál Ó Seighin is my father, so there is no doubt about where I am from.

These men did not go to jail so that people could "get the jist" of what was happening to Erris, and more specifically, to Rossport. These men went to jail, at the behest of Shell, because they could not give their word not to protect their lives, communities and way of life by obstructing Shell at any stage, in any way in the future.

These men still can not give that commitment. They have no problem in apologising to the court IF the injunction is lifted. If Shell are at all honourable then they have no need to have this injunction. Have they not given a commitment to halt proceedings on the offshore pipe for a year and on the Rossport pipe until the safety review?

Then an injunction preventing anyone from obstructing them - in doing works they had NO RIGHT to do - is useless.

But Shell have never shown themselves to be honourable. If you doubt me, you should look up what happened to Ken Sara Wiwa and his 8 comrades who were murdered by their corrupt government for protesting peacefully against Shells abuse of his people - the Ogoni Tribe. The only difference here is that it is 5 people incarcerated and even here executions would not be accepted.

I don't know of anyone who would go to jail for an indefinite period just for a P.R. stunt. This is about justice, about true democracy.

I am very proud of my father and the other 4 men now over 6 weeks in prison. I am very proud of their wives who are keeping things going at home while regularly making the VERY long round trip to see their husbands, behind perspex glass and speak to them through a grid on the bench. And while I know they are being very well treated, they are still in jail. It is horrible.

But while this unlawful injunction stands, these men can not purge their contempt.