Upcoming Events

Mayo | Environment

no events match your query!

New Events

Mayo

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Can Science Tell Us the Meaning of Life? Mon Dec 23, 2024 19:54 | Dr David Bell
At Christmas time, Dr David Bell reflects on what has true value in this world, the limits of science to tell us what that is and what a baby in a manger might have to say about it.
The post Can Science Tell Us the Meaning of Life? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Non-Crime Hate Incidents Surge in Half of Police Forces Despite Government Crackdown Mon Dec 23, 2024 17:46 | Will Jones
The number of?non-crime hate incidents?recorded by police has surged in half of Britain's forces despite attempts by the previous Government to crack down on the practice, official data show.
The post Non-Crime Hate Incidents Surge in Half of Police Forces Despite Government Crackdown appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Reeves?s Simplistic Thinking Spawned This Budget from Hell Mon Dec 23, 2024 15:44 | David Craig
Simplistic linear thinking by Rachel from Accounts and the Treasury spawned this Budget from hell, says David Craig. A systems thinker would have known it would send the economy into a doom loop of recession and decline.
The post Reeves’s Simplistic Thinking Spawned This Budget from Hell appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link British Drivers Steering Away From New Cars In Their Droves Mon Dec 23, 2024 13:00 | Sallust
British car-buyers are turning away from new vehicles in their droves and keeping their reliable old petrol models going for far longer as Labour's Net Zero war on affordable motors heats up.
The post British Drivers Steering Away From New Cars In Their Droves appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Britain on Brink of Recession After Growth Revised to Zero Following Reeves?s Horror Budget Mon Dec 23, 2024 11:09 | Will Jones
Britain is on the brink of a recession after official figures were revised to show zero growth in the third quarter of the year and living standards fell, with Rachel Reeves's horror Budget blamed.
The post Britain on Brink of Recession After Growth Revised to Zero Following Reeves’s Horror Budget appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?113 Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:42 | en

offsite link Pentagon could create a second Kurdish state Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:31 | en

offsite link How Washington and Ankara Changed the Regime in Damascus , by Thierry Meyssan Tue Dec 17, 2024 06:58 | en

offsite link Statement by President Bashar al-Assad on the Circumstances Leading to his Depar... Mon Dec 16, 2024 13:26 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?112 Fri Dec 13, 2024 15:34 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Shell Works Shut Down for Fourth Day This Week

category mayo | environment | news report author Friday July 29, 2011 00:16author by j debender - Rossport Solidarity Campauthor address Aughoose, between Pullathomas and Bellanaboyauthor phone 085 114 1170 Report this post to the editors

Four separate actions shut down Shell's work all day on Thursday

From 7am to 7pm on Thursday, the road between Shell's Bellanaboy refinery and the Aughoose compound was virtually shut down by local residents and supporters from the Rossport Solidarity Camp. Between a person sat on top of a tractor and then a tripod in the morning, a blockade of the scaffolding company responsible for getting the tripod removed, then a mass of people blocking the road outside the refinery in the afternoon, it was a brilliantly successful day.

No we will not leave
No we will not leave

At 7am Thursday morning six people from the Rossport Solidarity Camp went down to the road between the refinery and the Aughoose compound to stop tractors from bringing equipment from the refinery to the compound. Currently Shell are trying to bring bogmats and fencing to the temporary compound at Aughoose in order to start building a permanent compound from which they hope to begin the tunnel for the onshore pipeline. The first tractor that came out of the refinery was stopped by the protesters, and one person who got on the roof of the tractor stayed on top for almost two and a half hours, keeping the road blocked that whole time. The person got down off the tractor before the garda cutting team (the team of guards whom remove protesters from heights) arrived and was not arrested. Once the road had been cleared a second tractor was being brought through with a garda escort and a group of protesters briefly blocked it. While all the guards were tied up with that, a tripod was set up just down the road beside the Coillte forest. That was the last tractor to enter the compound Thursday. The tripod was set up at 9:30am, and as soon as it went up a group in Crossmolina were ready to blockade the scaffolding company. AGS scaffolding is owned by the brother of Sergeant James Gill, and they get called in to build scaffolding around the tripods in order to get the climbers down. Five people in Crossmolina blocked the gates into the AGS car park with banners from the moment the tripod went up. Later on someone climbed on top of the scaffolding to ensure it couldn't go anywhere. The owner and driver of the truck was very like his brother, ramming the gate into people with a forklift. He lost control, driving erratically at the protesters and fetching a ladder as if he were part of the public order unit. The person got down from the truck without being arrested, and in total the scaffolding truck was blockaded for three and a half hours. When the scaffolding eventually got to the tripod at about 1:30pm, it took an hour and a half to build the scaffolding tower and remove the person from the tripod. When the scaffolding was built up to the level of the person in the tripod, the person climbed into the apex of the tripod, forcing them to build another level of scaffolding. The person climbed one of the poles of the scaffolding tower, then five gardaí came and pulled him down, handcuffed him and cable tied his ankles together. They passed him from the scaffolding tower down to gardaí on the ground in a manner quite dangerous for the climber's back. It wasn't until after 3pm that the road was cleared, by which time a crowd of 15 or 20 locals had gathered at the red bus outside Bellanboy refinery. People from the Rossport Solidarity Camp went down to the refinery to join the locals and when a tractor left the refinery headed for the Aughoose compound, people got in front of it, stopping it in the road. One person climbed up on top of the roof of the tractor and stayed up for about 20 minutes until he was removed quite violently and arrested. After the person was taken down off the tractor, people sat down in the road and refused to move when given Section 8 orders by the gardaí. About 20 people linked arms and legs and sat in the road in front of the tractor. The 30 or so guards there began forcibly removing people and carrying them to the side of the road, but people kept sitting back down and maintaining a running blockade. Sergeant Butler used pressure points on several people causing severe momentary pain, forcing them to release their grips on each other. But people kept coming back. Protesters would get removed, then sit back down and hold onto each other, get removed, then sit back down again. After about 40 minutes of this, the tractor began reversing back into the refinery gates and the guards got into their vans and left, defeated. The energy of everyone on the road at this point was absolutely incredible. With about 20 locals and about 20 folks from the Rossport Solidarity Camp, everyone was hollering with joy. When the tractor reversed into the refinery and people realised they'd won, many were in tears. Fisherman Pat O'Donnell (the chief) commented that it was “possibly the greatest day of the campaign.” This is the start of a new stage in the resistance against Shell. The momentum is felt by everyone here; it is clear that people have not given up. If you've been meaning to come but just haven't gotten around to it yet, come for a visit. There is plenty to do here including gardening, cooking, site maintenance, talking to locals or writing indymedia articles, as well as getting on top of tractors if you like that kinda thing. The only way to really understand what is happening here is to come and see for yourself. The camp is located in a field in Aughoose, between Pullathomas and Bellanaboy. To contact the camp, ring 085 114 1170 or email rossportsolidaritycamp[at]gmail[dot]com

Related Link: http://shelltosea.com

tripod in the morning
tripod in the morning

the scaffolding tower
the scaffolding tower

passing the climber down
passing the climber down

Road successfully blocked
Road successfully blocked

 #   Title   Author   Date 
   more photos     photos    Fri Jul 29, 2011 00:18 
   Well Done     Mel... S2S    Fri Jul 29, 2011 01:25 
   class     Shelver    Fri Jul 29, 2011 02:40 
   Video Report from the 29th     Dave    Mon Aug 01, 2011 20:50 


 
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy