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Rossport 5 released as Shell lifts injunction

mayosolidarity@yahoo.co.uk | 01.10.2005 11:51 | Rossport Solidarity

The five Co. Mayo men imprisoned for protesting against Shell's Corrib gas pipeline in north-west Ireland have been released after 94 days in jail.

(there was a previous post on this topic but it lacked actual information)

Brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Micheál Ó Seighín, Willie Corduff
and Brendan Philbin have spent 94 days in Cloverhill Prison after they
defied a court order that they stop protesting at work being carried out by Shell at Rossport in Co Mayo.

The men - four landowners and a protester - refused to purge their
contempt of court over a refusal to comply with a High Court injunction obtained by Shell. In the High Court this afternoon, the company applied to have the injunction lifted, and the court agreed.

The men did not purge their contempt. However, the court will convene
on October 25th next to consider if the men should be punished.

The men had parts of their land compulsorily purchased by the Irish government on behalf of Shell to run an experimental raw gas pipeline from a drilling platform in the Atlantic to a refinery six miles inland. Rossport people have protested against the pipeline on safety grounds (it would run just 70m from the nearest houses) and environmental grounds.

The dropping of the injunction represents a significant victory in the campaign. Protests in Rossport have managed to prevent most work on the pipeline and refinery this summer and residents and their supporters plan to continue until Shell either stops the project or agrees to refine the gas at sea (as has been the usual practice in the past).

For more information see www.indymedia.ie or www.corribsos.com

mayosolidarity@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.corribsos.com

Comments

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Only start of the campaign

01.10.2005 15:13

The release of the rossport 5 was the result of direct action and hitting the public relations of shell. There is still the chance these men might be jailed again as this issue is far from resolved. Shell are still trying to construct this pipeline and have the support of the Irish goverment but not its people. Like England, Wales and Scotland, Ireland is fast going down the road of further isolating people from power and decision making and the Shell campaign has highlighted this grim fact.

A victory for international soladarity

barra
mail e-mail: aranu21@hotmail.com