road protests (current)
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From: "Jo Makepeace" (webmaster@schnews.org.uk)
Subject: SchNEWS 549, Friday 30th June, 2006
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 03:58:56 +0100
Rosspart Solidarity Camp
SHELLING OUT
Plans to force a lethal on-shore gas refinery onto Mayo residents in Ireland
are still being successfully resisted by the community of Rossport and
activists from the local solidarity camp (see SchNEWS 545). In the last few
weeks, Rossport Solidarity Camp celebrated its 1st birthday and a full year
of blocking Shell's attempts to start work at the refinery. But Shell are
not beaten yet and have recently exploited Ireland's corrupt State
bureaucracy to try and get their way. Environmental lobby group An Taisce
discovered that naughty Shell didn't have planning permission for an access
road, a local compound or a valve station, threatening what little work
Shell had completed before the blockade got going.
But Shell were not to be thwarted by mere bureaucrats. The next day the
planning authority quickly backtracked and issued a press release saying
Shell did not need planning permission after all. They claimed the need for
planning permission had been a typo and that they'd inadvertently written
'yes' instead of 'no!' on the application. The pen must have slipped through
their greasy palms, recently oiled with lucrative business contracts, and
they hastily apologised to Shell for any inconvenience caused.
This decision came as no surprise the local community. Shell has used a
range of tactics to get their way, beginning with the recruitment of local
man John Egan to act as Shell's press secretary. Egan was a BBC journo in
Nigeria when, at Shell's behest, ten activists were executed by the Nigerian
State. Despite witnessing such a crime John's now happy to help oil barons
devastate his own community. In March they hired local journo Christy Loftus
and local ex-top-cop John Carey as a local 'consultant' - who like many of
his colleagues has a questionable dodgy career behind him. Local sports hero
Padhairc Hughes was brought in to help and soon Shell's mates in the Irish
government released their so-called 'independent review,' which gave the
go-ahead to the entire project. The minister for marine and natural
resources reckoned that you'd still be safe if you stood three metres from
the pipe and it exploded! Shell have also been trying to entice local people
to support them by offering 'facilitation payments' - that are, of course,
nothing short of a bribe.
However, none of this has weakened the resolve of the local community or
activists in the solidarity camp. Whilst Shell has thrown millions into the
fight against the local campaign, one simple fact remains the same - the
project has been halted. As always the Solidarity camp encourages people to
come to Rossport and help with pickets and camp activities, whether for a
day a week or more, all are welcome.
http://www.struggle.ws/rsc (no longer online?)
http://www.shelltosea.com
road protests (current)
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