Update: Shell Truck Blockade Continues

mayo | environment | feature

Saturday June 25, 2005 14:22

by redjade

Report at 80 hours vigil and counting...

UPDATE: (June 25th)
'Translated into English this means this multi-national corporation is seeking the imprisonment of these five men for defending their homes, families, livelihoods, land and very lives from an unprecedented high pressure upstream untreated gas pipeline....'
Read More...

(June 26)
Corrib Gas Pipeline Development - in a nut shell

The scenario is this is a very narrow road, not passable by both village traffic and the 60 to 70 trucks the developers want to bring on it everyday. So there isn’t so much a blockade as there is parking. This has gone on since Tuesday at 3pm…over 72 hours and counting of continual vigil.

As a result of the actions of local residents and their supporters most transport to the Shell compound at Rossport has ceased.

At mid-day today (June 24th) some Shell and associates top brass started poking around, and seeing that the numbers of residents and their supporters had thinned they attempted to make their move. By 2pm today, Friday, a flurry of Shell henchmen was at the scene waving the High Court Injunction order they had got in Dublin that morning. This named Willie Corduff, Vincent McGrath, Philip McGrath and enjoined them, and anyone acting in concert with them, from “interfering” with traffic. However the only obstruction to traffic is from the contractors hired by Shell, normal traffic can transit the road with little difficulty. At the moment any obstruction is from the now very stationary lorry which was bringing pipes to the Shell compound.

At around 3.30pm Garda were called and served the injunction, reading it out to the assembled crowd of around 30 people, who were unimpressed at the law not being applied to the developers, while local residents are tried in absentia in Dublin.

The police were told straight out they would have to cart people off the road in wagons, that they would have to arrest everyone in sight. The legal situation with lorry, which is unlicensed to carry materials, was pointed out to them, but they said that it could be driven off and that the new driver had ten days to produce the necessary documentation. Mostly the Garda just pleaded that they had orders from the High Court, the highest court in the land and so on…

Negotiations began, the three-way debate ended inconclusively as Coffey, on behalf of Shell and co., didn’t have the power to organise a full scale public meeting open to all the people who use the road, rather his brief was, he claimed, only to organise a meeting of 3 Shell reps and 3 local residents, moreover he aimed to restrict participation to the owners of the land where the pipeline is planned to go.

Frustrated the Garda left, and, according to what is by now legend, worked out their stress issues by pulling over some Eastern European migrants for having no tax and insurance.

Shell-Statoil-Roadbridge-Sicim then attempted an abortive move of the lorry, unsuccessful in this, they then tried parking it further off the road, in order that the road be passable for their other lorries. Not the smartest of moves as this then got the truck bogged down. So the main-contractor successfully sabotaged the sub-contractors machinery, one would say – only in Ireland, but as there are Italians, Germans, Englishmen, Norwegians, Americans etc… with a slice of the development cake here perhaps such happens everywhere, but it is sure a new one on me.

The mood here is very positive and has been the last few days, there was a bit of a party last night with the bonfire for St.John’s Eve, with the Wolfe Tones making a change from some radio station that only seems to play country.

Volunteers are needed and welcome to travel up and join the struggle, see the Shell To Sea contacts page here:

The Shell To Sea Protesters are asking people to come out!

Call-in Report from the frontlines....

[ please excuse the brevity and quick writing - I hope I got this all correct, hard to hear on the phone ]

About 30 protestors are still on the same road ( read: http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70411 )

An injunction was served on:

william Corduff
vincent McGrath
Philip McGrath
and 'all agents and any acting in concert'

3 Gards are now at the scene.

Gardai have been told the shell vehicle is illegally parked.

And trying to get everyone to move their vehicles from left side of road.

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Yesterday a bus of 'important people' was blockaded 15-20 mins

They left and got on other bus

It is now thought that those VIPs were shareholders

There will be a Shell COrp AGM next week next Monday or Tuesday in Holland. There will be protests held there.

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The crew in Mayo is asking for people to come out to support and be involved.

click on 'contact us' at http://ShellToSea.com for more info