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Gardai rendered powerless as campaigners blockade Shell’s compound

U - Rossport Solidarity Camp | 03.12.2011 23:19 | Climate Chaos | Energy Crisis | World

Work was completely halted at Shell’s compound yesterday for over five hours in a great show of resiliance by local campaigners and their supporters. For the past two weeks now, Shell have been attempting to remove masses of peat from the compound in preparation for the tunnel boring machine which is expected to arrive early next year. Progress has been continuously disrupted as protesters brave the winter weather to stop trucks and a determined resistance is building momentum.

Gates to compound blocked by campaigners
Gates to compound blocked by campaigners

Lines of Gardai and IRMS security
Lines of Gardai and IRMS security

T.J. Carey, is the local contractor of tractors to Shell.
T.J. Carey, is the local contractor of tractors to Shell.


A local campaigner yesterday waited patiently outside the main gate of Shell’s compound in his car and requested to see someone in charge. For weeks now he has been trying to lodge complaints about public safety and traffic issues generated from the Aughoose compound. His concerns have been to date ignored. Having contacted the Shell offices in Belmullet and the refinery he was further directed by staff to go and try lodge his complaints at the compound in Aughoose where following a long wait his request remained unanswered. Once again the serious concerns of local people were ignored.

In the meantime, protesters arrived to slow work down and were met with six garda vehicles and a dozen or more Gardai along with just as many IRMS security. A tractor was prevented from entering the compound with equipment despite gardai pushing and shoving protesters around the road. Once the campaigners asked the Gardai to fullfil their duty and arrest them for blocking Shell vehicles the Gardai stepped back. It is obvious that the state’s police force here in Mayo prefer to employ violence against protesters where possible. Civil disobedience in numbers made them think again.

For the following 4 hours the gates remained shut, a long line of trucks and tractors turned off their engines and work ground to a halt as campaigners continued to peacefully demonstrate. One local person was assaulted by IRMS and after many requests the Gardai eventually took his complaint. No arrests were made in a highly spirited day. An Garda Siochana, who are supposedly the guardians of the peace, can blatantly be seen to be guardians of corporations and corruption up here in Erris.

The struggle continues. Be part of the resistance. All are welcome to stay at our winter camp or come join us during our day of solidarity on Saturday, 10th of December.

Related Link:  http://www.shelltosea.com

U - Rossport Solidarity Camp
- Homepage: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/101012

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Shell Used Strikebreakers in the Canadian Oil Refineries Strike.

04.12.2011 18:44

The OCAWU-- Oil Chemical and Atomic Workers Union in British Columbia went of strike and shut down the Oil Refineries throughout B.C. especially along the west coast of Canada, on the Pacific Ocean in the late sixties.

This strike was long and bitter and involved Wages and Conditions such that the whole question of polluting the enviroment was brought up, and the Union wanted better conditions than working to pollute the West Coast of B.C. and to be compensated for sickness caused by fumes in the Oil distilution processes etc.

The OIl Companies refused to negotiate and so the Union maintained the picket lines, and called on the British Columbia Federation of Labour to come to its assistence. It did so with some reluctance, and the strike settled in to a daily grind against the companies, with nothing moving in or out for some months. The population was mostly simpathetic to the Unions' position.

Then, low and be hold, the company on top of refusing to negotiate began hiring strike breakers and trying to bust the picket lines. This caused trouble on the lines as the trucks drove into the pickets and one union worker was driven over and killed.

The scene then changed and the courts intervened on the side of the companies and tried to halt the stike by ordering the pickets and Unions to stop. Arbitration was set up by the companies and President of the Union was fired along with others.

More than only fired the President was blacklisted from the union side and the strike collapsed from non-support by the right-wing labour officials, just when the call of a general strike was building throughout the province.

This Shell company is very unjust when it comes to environmental questions, and agreeing to the workers demands to improve living and working conditions. Later the Shell Co. arranged to have the military kill eight Union workers in the Oil fields of Nigeria in Africa. The correction to the whole question must be the RETOOLING OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

Coal, gas, oil, and atomic energy is destroying the planets livability by burning out the oxygen (already 38% gone since the first industrial revolution.) It is therefore the reason that the ecological green organic revolution has brought into being the high and low tech tools to put in place wind, tidal, and solar power which transforms to electricity and is more power than can be used by society. No more blackouts.

This non-pollution solution is given freely in natures kinder laws and provides work for all and forever more. Viva socialist liberation. End pollution wars, not endless wars for more and more pollution. Workers of the world, unite!!

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