4 Actions against Shell in their first day of work in Rossport, Ireland

Yesterday Shell, with the help of IRMS security and the gardai, began work on their pipeline. They have begun to put up Harris fencing to secure their site and to lay down a temporary road for access.
The first action of the day involved 7 people blockading the road by standing in the way of trucks that were moving in the materials to the compound. Protesters also sat on top of one of the trucks to stop it from moving. Members of the gardai violently assaulted the protesters to get them off the road. People were thrown in to the ditch and some sustained slight injury's including spraining and bruising. The action lasted for an hour and no one was arrested.
The second action of the day came 10 minuets later when two protesters locked themselves together with a tube made from plastic and concrete out side the main gates of the compound. This protest was violently broken up by members of IRMS security and the gardai. One of the people in the "lock-on" was stamped on while lying down and is now having to go to hospital with a fractured rib and problems with his spleen. Here the gardai showed how they intend to police this project merging in with the mercenariness of the IRMS and having no problem with hitting and kicking people on the floor.
Not deterred by the violence and the fact that two of the people involved in the protests were now receiving medical attention at the local doctors the blockades continued.
The third action occurred on the road into Bangor Erris where 8 protesters stood in front of trucks carrying more equipment towards the Shell site. Some people climbed on to the trucks and the blockade was eventually broken up by the gardai who severely harassed and delayed some of the people involved in the action.

Then, in an attempt to stop campaigners blocking access to the proposed compound site, private security firm IRM-S parked a vehicle in the gateway, hoping to remove the vehicle when workers attempted to gain access. At 7 o clock in the evening a member of Rossport Solidarity Camp turned the security vehicle into a blockade by locking onto the undercarraige of the vehicle stopping it from moving.

The vehicle which was parked at the access point to the site remained immobile all night as the campaigner refused to leave. This mornings work could not begin as access was stil blocked. In an effort to intimidate campaigners 70 private security men from the firm IRM-S arrived and in the presence of former army Ranger Jim Farrell and manager of the firm violently attacked supporters. A witness was shocked by the level of needless violence and force used. In this action IRM-S were backed up by members of The Garda public order unit who arrested one protestor violently pulling up them from the roof of his own vehicle. Both protesters have now been released without charge.

We are asking for people to come up this weekend for mass direct action against Shell. We also need more people to come and stay here long term and have a camp set up. What ever you can manage now is the time to come and get involved in this struggle.