Activists from Dublin Shell to Sea disrupted the "Exploring Atlantic Ireland" conference in the Burlington Hotel this morning as Minister for the giveaway of Natural Resources Noel Dempsey was on stage giving his speech.

Titled "Exploring Atlantic Ireland 2006", the two-day conference is highlighting the "exciting development opportunities" in Ireland's offshore gas. The minister was addressing 130 people from the oil and gas exploration industry, many from overseas. Despite a heavy presence of 30-40 Gardai as well as private security, the activists managed to gain access, with two getting into the main conference hall - and delivering a clear message that any development of Irish natural resources could only take place with the benefits of the project going to the Irish people, and with their consent.

Indymedia readers will be well aware that the terms of gas exploration licences mean that multinationals own all the gas they extract from Irish waters, paying no royalties and paying only a low rate of tax on whatever profits they declare many years after they sell the gas. However, defenders of Ireland's extraordinarily generous set-up argue that the exploration that results from such positive terms give Ireland "security of supply".

The next step in the Shell to Sea Campaign is a International Day of Action against Shell on Friday November 10th

The visit of Ibrahim Mussawi of Hezbullah (Lebanon) to Ireland over the past week as a guest of the Irish Anti War Movement has raised some eyebrows among anti-war activists and regular contributors to Indymedia Ireland. MichaelY from the IAWM began by outlining his organisation's position: "Perhaps the most crucial political point of them all. The IAWM is NOT a "Peace organisation" - there are, at least, 10-12 Peace organisations in this country, some of them anti-war/some of them not. The IAWM, as stated in its constitution, is an anti-imperialist organisation whose main objective is to stop the use of Shannon and other Irish facilities by the forces of the Empire, while simultaneously extending support and solidarity with those who are invaded, and those who fight against that invasion and occupation by any means at their disposal.

"It is in this context that we invited Ibrahim Mussawi and it is this context that many of us, especially the older members of the IAWM, supported the Vitenamese NLF and the Catholic inspired armed national liberation movements in Latin America. It is in this context many of us served time for being supporters of the ANC in South Africa , Frelimo in Mozambique or closer at home, the armed Irish movements. We don't see as our role to pick and choose...who is secular and who is not, who is anarchist and who is not, who is armed or not/peaceful, who is for NVDA and who for elections. Who is Gandhian and who Gramscian. Who is a Trotskyist and who Marxist Leninist. Who is a nationalist and who a republican. We support all of them...those who fight, those who resist, those who dream of a better world, those who block and protest while singing the Rosary. All of them."