Shell-to-Sea Activists Served With Prison Sentences

Ben Amunwa — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:46:10 +0000

Activists in Mayo, Ireland have been resisting Shell’s efforts to lay an illegal onshore pipeline in their community. The courage of these activists, who have risked jail sentences and put their lives on the line, has succeeded in delaying the construction of the pipeline frustrating Shell’s plan to access Ireland’s gas fields. Shell-to-Sea is an inspiring example of how local struggle can halt an oil giant in its tracks, but their efforts have also brought harsh penalties from a judicial system where the odds are stacked against them.

Below is the latest update from Rossport Solidarity Camp, Mayo, Ireland. The full update can be read here.

In Bellmullet court on Thursday, five Shell to Sea protesters were up for

hearings on charges ranging from last August 2008 to this June 2009. Judge

Anderson dismissed several charges on technical points but was very harsh

in serving two of the campaigners with four and eight month prison

sentences.

garda).

Maura Harrington, a well known Shell to Sea campaigner and spokesperson

who has already spent time in Mountjoy prison twice this year for acts of

civil disobedience against Shell, was given a four month prison sentence

for Section 8 public order charges (failure to obey the directions of a

The judge took quite an interest in the fact that Maura had spent

much of her life as a public servant. She was a school teacher for 36

years in Inver, and would have taught several generations of local people

in Erris. The judge asked Maura if all of her ex-pupils are ‘potential

anarchists’. The court offered a suspended sentence if Maura agreed to

enter into a good behaviour bond to keep the peace. As an objector to the

Shell gas project and an active citizen committed to civil disobedience

exposing the injustice of the Corrib Gas Project, Maura told the court

that she could not agree to such bond conditions, and was given four

months imprisonment for it. Referring to Maura’s refusal to enter into the

peace bond the judge accused Maura of wanting “to be free to assault

members of An Garda Síochána.”

address is:

Niall Harnett was also up for a Section 8 public order charges from an

incident that had happened last 30 August 2008. The timing of these cases

is highly political, as many of these case were only introduced in the

Spring so that hearings and convictions would coincide with the Solitaire

and Shell works this summer, making it more difficult for people to

protest against the project.

Niall received four months in prison for the Section 8 charge. Judge Anderson

ruled that Niall’s bail pending appeal would have stringent conditions,

meaning the appeal conditions would be such that if Niall appeals the

conviction and is released from prison, he must stay away from all Shell

work sites in Erris, including the compound on the beach at Glengad, the

refinery in Bellanboy, and the Shell offices in Belmullet (as well as the

surrounding waters of Erris). However as an objector to the Shell gas

pipeline ‘committed to civil disobedience to Shell’s law’ Niall refused to

sign these bail bond conditions, essentially giving up the opportunity to

be released from prison pending an appeal. He could have had his liberty

by Friday, but he did not feel that he could rightfully agree to such

extreme bail bond conditions which would essentially surrender his right

to protest.

On Friday Maura appealed her conviction, and was released from prison on

bail pending appeal. Niall is unable to do the same because of the

stringent appeal conditions which he was given. He is currently in

Castlerae prison in County Rosscommon, letters are much appreciated. His

Niall Harnett,

Castlerae Prison,

Harristown,

Castlerae,

Co. Rosscommon

Ireland

If you cannot send post, please sent messages of support to

rossportsolidaritycamp[at]gmail[dot]com, and we will pass on the message

(but obviously handwritten letters are nicer).

http://www.corribsos.com – shell to sea campaign website

http://www.indymedia.ie/mayo – latest Rossport info

http://www.rossportsolidaritycamp.110mb.com – Rossport soldarity camp website

Update on Rossport: Resistance to Shell’s Onshore Gas Pipeline

Ben Amunwa — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:55:37 +0000

From the village of Rossport, on the west coast of Ireland, the movement resisting Shell’s attempts to build a gas pipeline through the community is calling for international solidarity. The struggle is entering its most critical stage to date – this summer, years after the project was due to get underway, Shell will finally attempt to bring the pipeline onshore. The operation will be supported by a huge deployment of force, both from the state and Shell’s security guards. They will face unprecedented opposition from local people who have not given their consent to the project, but stopping the pipeline and the threats it poses will not be easy, and support is needed.

Similar to the Niger Delta, a major source of concern about Shell’s operations in Rossport is the environmental impacts of its plans. In response to the spirited opposition that has been going for years, Shell proposed a new pipeline route in 2006, but there are major problems with the new route. According to a report by Dutch organisation SOMO, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, the pipeline would pass houses, bogs and farmland and go through an area prone to landslides. The possibility of landslides, coupled with the instability of peat in some areas the pipeline is expected to pass, significantly exacerbate the chances of pipe failure. The fact that the gas doesn’t smell, making a leak harder to detect, only makes this more dangerous. In addition to concerns about the pipeline route, the refinery which the pipeline would connect to threatens the only source of potable water for 10,000 people.

Shell has finally brought a section of the pipeline onshore using the pipe laying ship, the Solitaire

Concerns are not limited to environment, however. In the words of local historian and campaigner Vincent McGrath,

“We are fighting for many things here: our health, environment and happiness. But we are also fighting for the right to live our lives as we have for generations before Shell came along.”

Furthermore, as the struggle has developed, however, a new source of concern has emerged – alleged repression from the Irish state and Shell’s private security entourage. A number of people from the local community have already been imprisoned for standing up to Shell. Recently, one of these, farmer Willy Corduff, was severely beaten by a group of men in balaclavas following a protest on the Shell site, raising the allegations that Shell’s private security were involved. According to Maura Harrington, a former head-teacher and leading member of the local campaign, Shell-to-Sea, ‘We desperately need accredited observers here to offer some form of protection.’
So, what can we do? All support is welcome – you can send messages, funds, or, best of all, send yourselves. In the words of the Rossport Solidarity Camp:

“The reason why Shell and the State are throwing a world of force against us is because we scare them. And rightly so… If we all make the effort to get to Mayo at this time we can make the critical mass of people to break them. So come on, let’s come together now, all of us, and make the breakthrough.”

Remember Saro Wiwa » Rossport

Shell-to-Sea Activists Served With Prison Sentences

Update on Rossport: Resistance to Shell’s Onshore Gas Pipeline