A large group of Shell to Sea activists attempted to return a section of the Corrib Gas pipeline to the Statoil Office at the IFSC today, as part of a campaign to draw public attention to Statoil's role in supporting Shell in their continuing attempts to install a dangerous experimental raw-gas pipeline in North Mayo.

The Gardaí, supported by a large number of private secirity guards, prevented the pipeline being brought into the office, and many office workers from the surrounding businesses came out to watch the stand off.

Normally activists are not able to even leaflet in the IFSC, since it is private property, but today leaflets were handed out, stickers were put up, and the security guards were powerless to interfere with the protest. For a lot of the workers in the financial services district, the protest provided a colourful distraction from the demands of their office jobs.

No one from Statoil was prepared to meet with the protesters or take delivery of the pipeline however, although one Statoil Executive did come to the phone, to say that the building security guards would not let any of the protesters enter, and he wasn't interested in leaving the building, since didn't feel there was anything to be gained by speaking to people in group situations, because he'd had bad experiences before.

He went on to say that the Irish people should be satisfied with the deal that their government had got for them, where they receive 25% tax, although he conceded that since the billions of euros spent in exploration can be written off, it will be many years before a cent of tax is paid, if ever.

Shell to Sea plan further protests on Norwegian Constitution Day, May 17th.

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Micheál Ó Seighin, Willie Corduff, Brendan Philbin, and Philip and Vincent McGrath were brought before the courts again today to receive the final judgement from Justice Joseph Finnegan, the President of the High Court.

The five were imprisoned last year for three months, for refusing to obey his order to cease protesting against the scheme by Shell and Statoil to install a dangerous, experimental, raw-gas pipeline through their village.

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A very successful protest took place outside the Leinster Regional Final of Blast Beat which took place in the Issacc Butt last Saturday. Hundreds of school students took part in the event which was sponsored by Coca Cola. However the boycott killer coke campaign ensured that this sponsorship by Coke backfired with the company getting negative publicity about their appalling human rights abuses in Colombia where several coke workers have been assasinated because they were union members and activists. read full story / add a comment