Cork group protest Shell Corrib Gas lecture at UCC

cork | education | news report

Wednesday March 12, 2014 00:03

by Corkonian - Corkonians for Corrib Truth

- College security and Gardaí mobilise to prevent debate -

On midday on Friday 7th March the Institute of Chemical Engineers - and their corporate sponsors, Shell - had organised for an engineer from Shell's Corrib Gas Project to give a talk and workshop for staff and students of the Engineering College at UCC. A cork group formed and mobilsed to attend the lecture, distribute independent information on Corrib and challenge any Shell spin.

Subvertised poster

The event was advertised very low key, but some UCC students brought it to the attention of some of the wider community of Corkonians involved in solidarity work against Shell & the Corrib Gas Project a few days before the lecture was due to take place.

A mini-group of students and associates formed to highlight the event, attend it, and challenge any untruths or omissions that the Shell propaganda machine may declare.

We broadcast the event online with a subvertised (and more accurate) poster.

At 11.45am outside Boole 3 lecture hall two uniformed Gardaí and four UCC security guards were occupying the entrance doors. Two more undercover detective Gardaí were also patrolling the area.

The UCC security were checking student IDs at the entrance and barred access to anyone without their UCC ID.

Some UCC students were refused entry because they were not from the engineering college or didn't have their ID with them. There were even a couple of transition year work experience students barred form entering and a number of students may have decided the lecture wasn't for them given the sight of the Gardaí at the doors.

We handed out some prepared questions to students on the way in and out to help with healthy debate.

UCC is currently promoting it's "Tradition of Independent Thinking" across the city of Cork and beyond, but this slogan is nothing more than a hollow soundbite while it facilitates Shell lectures on the Corrib Gas project behind guarded closed doors, preventing people with different views attending, and ultimately blocking independent thinking.

The lecture/workshop only lasted about 45 minutes, and about twelve to fifteen students attended. Although our group didn't get inside the lecture, the heavy Garda and security presence hopefully got the students present thinking - some of them may never have heard about Shell or the Corrib Gas project before. The Rossport 5 were jailed in 2005 - a nineteen year old first year student attending the lecture would have only been around nine or 10 at the time.

The event was successful in bringing a new Cork based working group together to challenge Shell propaganda and promote real "independent thinking" in Cork on the continuing Corrib Gas catastrophe.

UCC occupied by Shell

Corrib Gas Multiple Choice Fun Quiz 0.18 Mb

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Comments (4 of 4)

I wouldn't trust FLD

by paranoid

Sat Mar 29, 2014 16:39

Front line defenders were funded by Denis O'Brien,
Their webpage has pro Maiden article
Anti Sotchi Russian article.
Syria rebels support
It's almost certainly a propaganda outfit.

If they get behind you, you better be careful.
Something is going on.

Archbishop Tutu & others seek inquiry into Corrib gas project policing

by Doolin - Environment & Oil Industry

Sat Mar 29, 2014 16:22

The Corrib remains a live issue and it is good to see students keeping the academics informed from grassroots activity.

Lorna Siggins, Western correspondent, Irish Times today, in her article titled 'Tutu calls for inquiry into Corrib gas project policing' highlights Ireland's experience with Shell, the Corrib and the issue of policing. When is it more approriate than now to raise the issue of 'policing' and the history of the Corrib, the people and Shell Oil.

South African archbishop Desmond Tutu and former United Nations assistant secretary general Denis Halliday have called an "urgent and comprehensive" independent inquiry into the the policing of the Corrib gas project

The group of signatories include: Peace and Justice group Afri, human rights Organisation Front Line Defenders and others. They are calling for the inclusion of the Corrib gas dispute to be included in "any Government inquiry" into Garda accountability.

Why? Oil industry is big business for elites and when companies like Shell choose locations like Ireland, we need to learn from countries like Nigeria, the social, the environmental and corruption costs that align themselves to being rich in a mineral resource but being reliant on the international companies to extract the oil/gas from our country.

The article states a series of incidents which resulted in the involvement of Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) concerning incidents related to policing at the Corrib site in Mayo. Local residents in Mayo are reported to have been subjected to a series of incidents (from assault to serious injury) from 2006 onwards. This resulted in a large number of Gardai being deployed to the Corrib project. The Afri statement states:-

Residents have submitted reports to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner without any satisfactory outcome

GSOC have been implicated on several occasions. According to Afri in the year 2008:-

"GSOC sought permission from the then Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan, to conduct a "practice, policy and procedure" review of the policing of the Corrib gas project, but this request was denied"

In 2013, Ms Sekaggya, UN special rappoteur on Human Rights, who visited Ireland in 2012, called on the Irish Government to investigate "all allegations and reports of intimidation, harassment and surveillance in the context of the Corrib gas dispute".

Gardai dedicated to the Corrib need to be transparent and accountable. Who pays and at what cost to the services of An Garda Siochana in the exercise of their functions throughout Ireland? Human Rights must be a priority and any breach as highlighted above must be dealt with promptly.

Well done Corkonian

by Justin Morahan

Wed Mar 19, 2014 15:10

It's great to see that solidarity is alive and well. Kudos to you and your friends. But what does it say of the sorry state of this country when our Gardaí have to patrol a University lecture and possible dissenters are kept at bay.

Shell to Sea, Shannonwatch, Ireland says No to Austerity, Justice 4 All, whistleblowers, anti-eviction groups, individuals, anti-war groups, a few great Independent TDs, Margaretta D'arcy and others are keeping the flame of indignant love burning.

Long life to you and ultimate success.

Corrib Gas Multiple Choice Fun Quiz!

by Corkonian

Wed Mar 12, 2014 00:18

Please use at any future Shell propaganda events :)

Corrib Gas Multiple Choice Fun Quiz! 0.53 Mb

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Cork group protest Shell Corrib Gas lecture at UCC

Comments (4 of 4)