Pallaskenry Women - Two More Prepared For Jail.

limerick | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Tuesday June 13, 2006 23:24

by Niall Harnett - Gluaiseacht.

Joan Hayes (Orla Kaiser's mum) & Breda Clarke vow they will go to jail if necessary, with Orla, to protect their families, their community and their Spring Water. Get Real - No Deel.

"Mass clearances during the Irish Famine were made possible by the landlords' use of the infamous bailiffs - The Crowbar Brigade. Their actions combined with the presence of police were likely to quell any thought of serious resistance by tenants / indigenous people who 'must be taught by the strong arm of the law that they have no power to oppose or resist'." http://www.nde.state.ne.us/SS/irish/unit_3.html

Well, is that right?

Limerick County Council brought in their own Cro-bar Construction Brigade accompanied by An Garda Síochána again this morning in a staged attempt to push the polluted River Deel water pipeline past the 'white line', which was held again this morning by local residents, mostly women, including Orla Kaiser's mother Joan Hayes and Tom Clarke's wife Breda Clarke. Joan and Breda showed no fear in a powerful statement to Gardaí, Limerick County Council and national media, saying they are prepared to go jail if necessary, with Orla, to defend their rights and their Spring Water.

Joan Hayes & Breda Clarke - Strong & Defiant.

Yesterday in the high court in Dublin, Orla Kaiser refused to give an undertaking that she would abide by a court order injuncting/restraining her from 'interfering' with the construction of this water pipeline. Her case has been adjourned till Thursday 15th June, scheduled to be heard just after the judicial review of the whole pipeline saga and Limerick County Council’s behaviour, a review instigated by the Bleach Lough Spring Water Retention Committee last February.

Orla wasn't expecting to be 'at liberty' to be a part of last night's rally on the green in Pallaskenry which saw a large turnout in support of her and the campaign. Speakers included Orla herself, Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party who has been very supportive, and Orla's husband Stefan who made an emotional appeal to the people of Pallaskenry and Kildimo to commit to supporting them and their white line protest. Then everyone walked through the village out to the white line for a symbolic moonlit protest - Get Real, No Deel.

This morning at about 8am local residents started to arrive again at the white line. Cro-bar construction made a couple of drive-by's just to check out the resistance. Then they pulled up in numbers with trucks, vans, machinery, traffic lights and cones and began to set up. They were accompanied at this stage by LCC's Executive Engineer Colm Morrissey and proceeded to 'start work' by turning on the road-cutter con-saw close to the white line and cutting towards the line where they were met by some of the group standing firm and holding hands on the line. The con-saw was turned off, the contractors went for breakfast, Colm Morrissey got on the phone and everybody waited until ...

... later when Senior Engineer Donal Brennan arrived with the Gardaí, Colm Morrissey again and a refreshed Cro-bar brigade. They re-started the saw and were met once more at the white line with the usual resistance, this time photographed by Engineer Colm Morrissey. Senior Engineer Donal Brennan signalled for the saw to be stopped and for the Gardaí to move in. The Gardaí took the names and addresses of four people on the line and got into the squad car accompanied by LCC Engineer Donal Brennan to exchange notes!

It's important to note here that neither of these attempts by the Limerick County Council's Cro-bar Brigade to cross the line were legitimate attempts to start work, more to deliberately set the stage for a stand-off where more names can be added to the list of 'injunctees' for the purposes of bringing them back to the high court and seeking their committal to jail.

Immediately after that, while being interviewed on camera by a number of media crews, including RTE, both Breda Clarke and Joan Hayes expressed their disgust at these intimidatory tactics by Limerick County Council and vowed that they were prepared to continue to stand firm in their protest even if it meant their having to go jail.

If Limerick County Council remain true to form, then today’s protesters can expect hastily delivered summonses requesting the pleasure of their company at the high court in Dublin this Thursday 15th June at 11am.

Limerick County Council Public Persecution Engineers Donal Brennan & Colm Morrissey.