Sixty Shell to Sea protesters entered the proposed refinery site at Bellanboy this afternoon causing work to be stopped. The protesters entered the site at gate three on the Bellanaboy-Belmullet road at 3:30pm due to serious concerns about untreated water leaving the site, refusing to leave until their concerns are addressed.

Approximately thirty Gardai followed protesters onto the site instructing them to leave which they refused to do. Gardai initially attempted to forcibly remove protesters from the site but desisted once reminded that they too were trespassing on private property.

Related Links: Indymedia Mayo Archive | Shell to Sea | Rossport Solidarity Camp |

On the afternoon of 19th March Cosantori Siochana held a wreath laying ceremony, to mark the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, at Shannon Airport. Deirdre Clancy of the Pit-Stop Ploughshares laid the wreath at the site of the old Customs Post at the Airport. The group also laid flowers with the names of several of those who lost their lives in the ill-fated war in Iraq

Deirdre spoke of the importance of keeping the focus at Shannon Airport, “We owe it to ourselves to stand up against the militarisation of Shannon Airport and future generations and to the past who stood up against imperialism in an Irish context. We owe it our fellow human being to stand up stand up for their right not to be a slaughtered.” Later she praised local activists for organising the event

Related Links: Cosantori Siochana | Anti-War Ireland | IAWM | Indymedia Anti-War Stories | Black Shamrock | Irish Peace Activist speaks at Hungarian Peace Rally | AirportWatch Wiki

Residents of adjoining streets to Fatima Regeneration Project Phase 2 under the representative body of The Four Terraces Residents Group find themselves pondering on what course of action to take following two more days of late construction operations on 12/3/07 and 13/3/07.

This was in direct conflict with relevent planning conditions which restrict construction works to within the hours of 8am-6pm Mon-Fri and 8am-4.30pm Sat and despite the site operating under notice from DCC Planning Enforcement for previous breaches of planning conditions.Residents Representatives fear a deal to agree future road closures necassary for construction programme is now unlikely as a consequence of developers actions and apparent DCC Planning Enforcements inactions.

Putting it All Together: Residents Block RoadsAs Fatima Developer's Traffic Plan Fails | Earthquakes in D8 andProblems with dialogue between residents and Fatima Developers | Housing activists meet to discuss redevelopment & privatisation of their homes | A local community rejects Public Private Partnerships | Elliot Constructions Portfolio on Fatima | FFF vs PPP: Fight For the Flats or Public Private Partnerships? | All Eyes On Upcoming PPP Conference | Noise Hacker's New Place, Same Faces community art | People Before Profit Public Meeting expresses concerns on land value from Fatima | Living with state dereliction in St Michael's: local community rejects privatisation of their homes

Pro Choice Activists marked International Women's Day by holding a protest outside a Rogue family planning agency on Dorset Street. The Agency, called "Women's Resource Agency" and also using the name "British Alternatives Pregnancy Services", was covered up with a brown sheeting - in an attempt to prevent their identity and location being exposed in the media.

Advertised as a pregnancy counselling agency, it subjects women in crisis pregnancies to psychological manipulation, misleading and deliberately lying about pregnancy and abortion services to prevent women from travelling for abortion services. The lies they tell clients are designed to force women to feel guilt and shame for even considering abortion as an option.

A newly formed pro-choice group in Dublin (yet to be named) has been working over the last few weeks to gather information about this place. This has included reports back from women who have been to see a 'counsellor' of the agency to get abortion information.

Also Read: Rogue Anti-Choice Agency, Dorset St. - A History of Lies and Deception

Related Links: Indymedia.ie Gender & Sexuality Articles — Pro-Choice Campaigning — RAG Dayschool on Sexual Violence — Alliance For Choice — BODY Launch Article — Irish Family Planning Agency

International Women's Day... The Unmanageables Protest and Blockade Min for Justice Michael McDowell's Office — In Co. Derry: Graffiti by Road and some interesting Sculpture Alterations — Audio: Class, Feminism and Revolution - Download and Discuss

Indymedia.ie contributor Seamus writes:
The BCI have pulled this ad, saying it is investigating complaints of it being 'too political'. Little other information has been made available.

At the most basic level, this is an act of censorship and is anti-women. This is made all the more visible given that tomorrow is International Women's Day, a day that, among other things, serves to highlight the radical inequality experienced by women globally.

Now, while Trocaire are a branch of one of the most anti-women organisations of the world, the Roman Catholic Church, they should be commended for thier campaign shift away from perpetuating the 'black baby' syndrome - the racialised representation of development in Irish society - and 'development as chairty' model of public relations.

Section 10(3) of the Radio and Television Act, 1988: 'No advertisement shall be broadcast which is directed towards any religious or political end or which has any relation to an industrial dispute.'

Related Links: Trócaire warns of conspiracy of silence on International Women’s Day — BCI's stated reasons — RAR 2005 Demo Against Female Genital Mutilation