NationWide Statoil Pickets in Support of Rossport 5: Add Reports Here In Comments

by imcer Fri Jul 22, 2005 20:00

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by imcer Fri Jul 22, 2005 20:16

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by LY - Labour Youth Fri Jul 22, 2005 20:19

Members of Labour Youth picketted Statoil in Castleknock today Friday from 2- 4 pm. There was great support from passers by and the forecourt was empty for most of the picket

Picket starts

Forecourt empties

Picket Line

by Cork Green Party Fri Jul 22, 2005 20:23

Picket has now moved to Shell depot on Centre Park Road. Bígí linn!

by Joe - WSM '1st of May' (pers cap) Fri Jul 22, 2005 20:26

Just over 25 people turned out for the blockade of Statoil on the New Cabra Road this evening. Very few cars entered the station but a police car and van were sent down to keep an eye on his.
Local people from Stoneybatter and Cabra took part in the picket - they included members of at least four different political organisations. Very few cars tried to enter the station and of those that did around a third turned around after we talked to the drivers.

There was lots of support from passing motorists including a bus driver who was actually from Rossport. Although 6 Gardai turned up they mostly kept their distance.

Photos to follow in a minute

by w. via imcer Fri Jul 22, 2005 20:36

20 on picket. only 2 cars used pump between 5pm and 7.30 pm. 100's of cars honking in support.

by S Fri Jul 22, 2005 20:40

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by Joe Fri Jul 22, 2005 20:40

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Before picket

After 10 minutes

There is always one

Cop van leaves

by mick Fri Jul 22, 2005 21:19

Over 20 at Ballymun picket - mostly Sinn Fein people including councillors Sparky and Dessie Ellis. SWP organized two pickets in the week that were also well attended. There's talk about a combined effort for sometime next week.

by Emma-wsm Fri Jul 22, 2005 22:19

About 11 or 12 people turned out for the statoil picket in Clondalkin this evening- some from Sinn Fein a couple of swp from Ballyfermot and also labour party and their counsellor for the area Robert Dowds and others there in an individual capacity.
Some motorists crossed the picket, we talked to others coming into the station and they showed support by turning back and not entering we had alot of beeps by passing cars and one taxi driver said the place was dead compared to what it is usually like in the evening so something must have been done right! The guards showed up when we were preparing to leave so no hassle from them anyway.

by William Fri Jul 22, 2005 23:21 +353 87 2861238

Some photos from the Statoil on Northumberland Road in Ballsbridge (beside the Israeli Embassy and opposite Jurys). Up to 20 people picketed from 5pm to 7.30pm. Huge support from passing cars and pedestrians. During the two-and-a-half hour picket, only two cars ignored us and used the pumps. For some reason, every number 7 bus that passed honked, not the other buses.

A honking motorist turns heads

Passing pedestrian takes a flier

Pumps not seeing any action

by Tommy Donnellan - Shell to Sea Fri Jul 22, 2005 23:59

Galway's contribution to the Day of Action was the manning of an info/petition stall outside Lynch's castle in Shop st from 12PM to 3PM, the picketing of the Statoil depot in Lough Atalia rd for 45 minutes and the further picketing of the Statoil service station at the nether end of Bothair Mhor from 5PM to 7PM.

One visiting Mayo man greatly impressed with the great number of people signing our petition hung around the stall before departing with his infant daughter. Green Party, Galway City Councillor, Niall O' Brolchain, thought nothing could compare with it except the outraged numbers signing the petition against the proposed siting of an incinator in Galway a number of years ago.

It is self evident there is a huge groundswell of support out there for the Rossport 5 and contempt for Shell and Fianna Fail, whether the fuck's heed it and do the right thing is another matter?.

Ciaran & Dottie

Fran & Niall

Statoil Bothair Mhor service station under pressure.

by sovietpop - wsm Sat Jul 23, 2005 00:14 sovietpop at hotmail dot com

Very sucessful, vast majority of cars were happy to go elsewhere for their petrol, lots of beeping from passing cars.

by Meath Sinn Féin - Sinn Féin Sat Jul 23, 2005 00:18 joereilly at members dot meathcoco dot ie Meath County Council, Navan, Co. Meath.

Local protests hope to press Noel Dempsey to secure Rossport men's release
In support of the Rossport 5 and the Shell to Sea campaign, Meath Sinn Féin took the protest to Navan's busiest intersection on the banks of the Boyne.
In support of the Rossport 5, and as part of the national day of action, Meath Sinn Féin staged a protest during peak time traffic in Navan this evening.

According to Colr. Joe Reilly the tremedous support exhibited by passing traffic showed that 'Meath people are fully aware of the hardship being suffered by those jailed and their families.

Continuing, Joe Reilly stated that 'It is a shame that our local Minister, Noel Dempsey, is standing by the companies that seek to bring raw, untreated gas through a land-slide prone residential area.'

Offering this apology to the Rossport families, Joe Reilly said: 'Please understand that it is a source of great sorrow to many in in this county that the minister responsible for this issue is a man that represents Meath at the cabinet table.'

'As Caitlín Uí Sheighin can testify from her visit to Trim to meet Rossport supporters last week, the ordinary people of Meath are very troubled by the events in Mayo. We hope that this national day of action will go some way towards securing the release of Caitlín's husband, and the other 4 Rossport men.'

Statoil is Norway's Shame

The banners say it all

Responding to supportive drivers

Scaoil leo!

Ann Gibney exposes Minister Noel Dempsey

by Meath Sinn Féin - Sinn Féin Sat Jul 23, 2005 00:20

Take a look!

by Meath Sinn Féin - Sinn Féin Sat Jul 23, 2005 00:26

Joe, Caitlín & Danny at Trim Castle last week

by Paul Sat Jul 23, 2005 04:45

A handful of us gave out some leaflets from 7 to 8ish. Decieded to protest at this station as we didn't have time to organise transport to the action that was called for at Ferrybank Waterford/Kilkenny.

Handing out leafets

Advertising space

Hell Station

by Chekov Sat Jul 23, 2005 10:33

Actually there wasn't one. This protest acheived all of one line of coverage in an article about Tommy Broughan. Proving once again that Ireland's paper of record is a propaganda rag for the business class.

by eeekkkk Sat Jul 23, 2005 10:39

always disappear from the Irish (property) Times just when they get serious? News in Norway but not Dublin Madam?

by Times Reader Sat Jul 23, 2005 12:38

This is a bit bewildering as Frank Nally of the Irish Times visited a picket at Usher's Quay yesterday afternoon and spoke to Cowley. I checked the Times on the net but I can't access the Weekend section for some reason. Might there be something there?

That said, Labour have cleverly identified the way of maximising pressure on Shell and Statoil by having a debate in Leinster House. The achilles heel of international oil exploration companies is exposed for all to see.

Lastly, is there any truth to the rumour that Pat Rabbitte has pulled out of speaking today because he refused to back the five demands of the Rossport men?

by Chekov Sat Jul 23, 2005 14:06

Looks like the higher ups in the IT squashed this story.

by ucd anarcho falvoured sweets Sat Jul 23, 2005 18:54

At half five there was about eight people at the Statoil Station on Northumberland road, with this swelling to fifteen by six o'clock. The blocakde was made up mostly of libertarian grassroots types with a few Shinners thrown in for good measure at the start, with loads more showing up. No real hassle here apart from one fourteen year old kid who looked like he wanted to be heir to the Freedom Institutes guff and embarked on a half hour debate with one of the protesters, accusing us of trying to drive some poor unfortunate manager out of business.

Over at Clonskeagh there was a different story. Cops had arrived early in the blockade, which was a little short on numbers. This being the first protest in the area since the late seventies, a few of the residents seemed a little taken a back that anyone would dare challenge their whole mode of life by asking them to boycott their local Shell (Spar is cheaper by the way...).

There was one or two minor altercations with cars getting caught up in banners, and then came the police. As usual they rolled out the rehearshed lines about freedom to 'protest our beliefs' and other such shite that they'd learnt in crusty scenario class in Templemore before snapping one persons camera off them and demanding they delete photos of the Gardai in question carrying out their duties. At first they tried to pocket it, warning the protester that 'we can discuss this down the station.' Realising eventually that this was illegal they demanded the photos were deleted, all the while exclaiming with horror that protesters always filmed them and the cops never filmed protesters. Then there was the repeated warnings about blocking the Station, with no legislation being qouted but threats of arrest flying around left and centre, with female bogger cop one explaining how she agreed with our beliefs but we couldn't destroy another human beings right to freedom of choice in petrol. "Dont ya agree? Da ya hear me? Dont ya agree?" Oh fuck off - Reasoning with cops is like trying to put 1 euro coins in a 50 c vending machine, an utter waste of time

by Tommy Donnellan - Shell to Sea Sun Jul 24, 2005 22:02

Ferrybank !

Wexford !

Waterford !

Ferrybank !

A double whammy from Ferrybank !

by krossie Mon Jul 25, 2005 13:13

We got nine people - 6 from Sinn Fein, myself WSM and 2 non aligned - there from 5-7 pm - very few cars filled up and constant honking of horns in support.

By my calculation there were 3-400 people involved accross the city from many different political organisations.

I'm going to propose to Dublin Shell to Sea tomorrow (http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=71119) that we do it all again next Friday

What do people think?


Krossie

by Tomas O Cosgair Mon Jul 25, 2005 13:15

A group of construction workers mainly from north Mayo and currently based in Waterford cityhave lent their weight to the 'Free the Rossport five' campaign by unfurling a banner in the green and red of Mayo, from atop a huge tower crane overlooking Waterford city. On Saturday last , the group, believed to be from the Geesala area and in tandem with the nationwide protest, made known their support for their fellow countymen,by scaling the tower of the crane of the Railway Square development in the city, and their it proudlt flies in solidarity with the five men from Rossport current encarcarated in Clover Hill gaol.

Green and Red flies in Waterford

by DV8 Mon Jul 25, 2005 13:19

Mayo men to return to prison

25 July 2005 12:15
The five Co Mayo men jailed for their protests over the Corrib Gas pipeline will return to prison after failing to purge their contempt and apologise to the High Court.

The President of the High Court, Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan, repeated that he will not hear any applications from the men in relation to the High Court Order while they are in contempt of court.

He added that it was not acceptable to him that persons who are in contempt should seek the assistance of the court.

The five are being detained at Cloverhill Prison in west Dublin.

by krossie Mon Jul 25, 2005 15:03

I've mentioned it before - but is Finnegan a total idiot??

Obvoiously theres ways around this eg barristers for other people taking the action etc etc

I mean what Shell and Dempsey need now is not this sort of nonsense - they need an "out" an exit strategy - not likely with this fool!

Its actually quite comical at this juncture - well if it wasn't for the lads been still in of course

Beir bua

Krossie

by Jon Glackin - Street Seen Tue Jul 26, 2005 04:11 streetseen04 at hotmail dot co dot uk 0774 327 5533

I'm going to propose to Dublin Shell to Sea tomorrow (http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=71119) that we do it all again next Friday

What do people think?

I believe we should keep the pressure on.
In Belfast the Street Seen crew are working at building a lunchtime picket this Friday at the Norwegian Consulate and further actions later that day....
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=71137
There is a possibility of an action in Amsterdam that day also and we will attempt to spread the word to the UK (London, Manchester, Glasgow etc.)
I believe we should be looking towards escalating the protests as widely as possible as soon as possible....

by krossie Tue Jul 26, 2005 15:10

I'lll raise it tonight there has been some talk about switching to the depot but I'm sure we'll get something together in Dublin for Friday - personally I'd like to hit the stations once more just to show it was no one off!!!!!


Krossie