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mayo / rights, freedoms and repression Thursday July 16, 2015 23:57 by Paul Lynch
 6 comments (last - tuesday july 28, 2015 00:46)
The trial of two Mayo men accused of violent disorder and damaging property at the Shell Corrib gas project tunneling site in June 2013 continues in Castlebar circuit court. Related Links: ShellToSea.com | Radio reporter claims he lost his job over coverage of Corrib Gas controversy | Irish Times: Top criminologist calls for inquiry into Corrib policing | Archbishop Tutu calls for independent inquiry into policing of Corrib gas project | Court Report On “rape-tape” Sergeant Being Awarded €33,0000 | Business as usual for Gardaí – trying to smear women in ‘rape tape’ controversy | Join the continuous protests against Shell | 22 TDs gather at gates of Dail to demand reversal of Corrib pipeline consents
mayo / environment Friday May 10, 2013 17:26 by Rossport Solidarity Camp
5 comments (last - tuesday july 02, 2013 22:33)
Make this the week you come to visit Rossport
Call Out: Related Links: 1,600 billion - Massive scale of oil giveaway revealed in Shell to Sea report | Corrib campaigners protest as Shell announce €19.6 billion profit | Jail! | Resistance to Shell in Galway City | Shell Accused of Corrupting Irish Police Force | Shell to Sea campaigner jailed for 3 months. Solidarity protest in support of Shell to Sea prisoner Izzy Ní Ghraidm | Protesters continue to frustrate Shell's work | Just another manic monday. | Belmullet District Court Report - Shell and Mayo County Council stand co-accused of obstructing the public highway. | 17th Anniversary of Ogoni Nine marked at Shell HQ, Dublin | Shell's Tunnel Boring Machine Fiasco | Video testimony of human rights and civil liberty abuses in Ireland | Pat Rabbitte disrupted at energy conference
mayo / environment Sunday January 20, 2013 00:05 by Niall Harnett
32 comments (last - thursday april 04, 2013 22:01)
Art - a Composite of Van Gogh's 'Exercise Yard'
& Munch's 'Scream' by Prisoner Mick Connors. On 21st April 2010 I was convicted of assaulting a number of Gardaí in relation to Shell to Sea protests and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment. Remission for good behaviour means that prisoners will have their sentences reduced by a quarter, once you keep your nose clean. I was given credit for 2 weeks time served previously in 2009, before I was bailed out pending my appeal. So I spent 4 months in jail from April to August in the summer of 2010.
mayo / environment Thursday December 15, 2011 00:50 by C
21 comments (last - wednesday february 08, 2012 15:40)
Ex-Sgt James Gill
Barrister Leo Mulrooney to ex-Sgt James Gill: “Complete the now well-known phrase 'Give me your name and address or I'll...' “
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Last Friday saw retired Sgt James Gill awarded €33,000 plus legal costs by Judge Margaret Heneghan for a defamation case that he took against prominent Shell to Sea campaigner Pat O'Donnell. Mr Gill claimed that Mr O'Donnell accused him at a protest at Bellanaboy on November 3rd 2006, while other protesters and gardaí were in the area, of stealing diesel and smuggling tyres across the border. Mr O'Donnell denied saying those comments to Gill but the Judge believe the word of Gill and made the award. James Gill is the Garda Sergeant that made the infamous comment “Give me your name and address or I'll rape you” which was recorded last March 31st (https://www.indymedia.ie/../article/99445) However James Gill is also the Garda with probably the longest and most involved history of any of the Gardaí that have policed the Corrib Gas Project. He sat on the Shell's Project Monitoring Committee for 5 years, his brother's scaffolding firm AGS was employed by Shell and I have personally witnessed him viciously assault campaigners on a number of occasions. I wish that I didn't feel the need to write this negative article about a Garda who doesn't police for Shell anymore, but that thisman's good name was valued at €33,000 is an absolute disgrace. What happened in CourtLast Wednesday saw the hearing of the case. In the case Mr Gill claimed that Mr O'Donnell had accused him of being a thief but this was denied by Mr O'Donnell. Mr O'Donnell said that on the morning in question he had engaged in banter with other protesters and had referenced diesel which had been stolen from him previously in 97 or 98. Mr O'Donnell claimed that he had said that it's easier for people to steal diesel because all the Gardaí were up protecting Shell. He also said that he had said that the Gardaí uphold the law one day and break it the next, referring to the fact that the Gardaí were being well-behaved that day as there was politicians present but that other days they would beat up the protestors. Mr O'Donnell denied that any of this was directed at Mr Gill specifically. In evidence Mr Gill stated that after Mr O'Donnell had made the comments that other protesters began making similar comments and that this has caused him a lot of stress. He felt that his credibility had been undermined, and that the comments would “sully his reputation” and felt it would hurt his children,“if their father was named a thief”. He stated that a gastric ulcer which he had had previously had been exasperated as a result of the comments and that he ended up with symptoms of Post traumatic stress disorder. Under cross-examination from Mr O'Donnell barrister Leo Mulrooney, Mr Gill stated that this defamation case was not about money, that it was about his reputation. Twice in his cross-examination Mr Mulrooney attempted to introduce element of the infamous 'rape-tape', of which Mr Gill was the main player. First of all Mr Mulrooney attempted to ask Mr Gillif he had ever had discussions with other Gardaí on how to present evidence in court. This was a rather obscure reference to the 'rape-tape', which only someone who had listened to the 'rape-tape' would have seen where it was going. However obviously Judge Heneghan had done her homework, immediately shutting down that line of questioning saying that only relevant matters were to be discussed. For his second attempt later on, Mr Mulrooney tried a more direct approach asking Mr Gill to complete the well-known phrase 'Give me your name and address or I'll...' “. However Mr Gill feigned ignorance and in a most blatant lie stated that he didn't know what Mr Mulrooney was talking about. Mr Mulrooney then asked if Mr Gill was serious that he didn't know what was being spoken about seeing as it had been front page news for a week and had been raised in the Dáil a number of times. At this Mr Gill's barrister Seamus Ruane jumped to his feet objecting, stating that if Mr Mulrooney was referring to the events of the 31stof March then they had no relevance to the case that was being tried. Mr Mulrooney argued that the subject being spoken about was of absolute relevance in ascertaining Mr Gill's good reputation.
mayo / environment Tuesday November 29, 2011 12:16 by j debender
5 comments (last - wednesday december 07, 2011 11:58)
Standing on the Peat truck outside the refinery
Friday 25th November saw over 5 hours of Shell's peat and stone haulage completely blocked by campaigners, and no arrests were made. First thing in the morning four campaigners had trucks blocked for over an hour and a half, and later on one person climbed on top of a peat truck outside Shell's Bellanaboy refinery, remaining there for 3 and a half hours stopping all haulage.
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Sun 01 Dec, 04:06
The ongoing disaster that is Salmon farming both here in Ireland and around the world continues to demonstrate this industry is doing huge damage to the wild salmon and is overall destructive of the ecosystem. Not only that farmed salmon are regularly dosed in deadly toxic chemicals in a desperate effort to keep the sea lice parasites and disease under control and in every case they don't keep any control and the diseases just get more resistant. Salmon are simply not evolved to live in cages in extremely close proximity to tens of thousands of other salmon. White uses Christmas to sign off on Corrib gas despite pending judicial review of EPA licence.
This morning's sitting of Castlebar Court today was adjourned just before midday as members of Integrity Ireland requested to place Judge Kevin Kilrane and prosecuting Superintendent Joe McKenna under citizens’ arrest. The trial of two Mayo men accused of violent disorder and damaging property at the Shell Corrib gas project tunneling site in June 2013 continues in Castlebar circuit court.
Shell protester given suspended sentence after Pullathomas protest On Friday the 11th July, people started gathering for the art weekend in which murals and new campaign banner and signs were prepared. Straight away work on the house with the mural “The struggle goes on” was started along with the sign on the roof which reads “Strength in Community”. On Wednesday 9th July, 6 Corrib campaigners appeared in Belmullet District court to answer charges as a result of their opposition to Shell. While the following Friday John Monaghan appeared in Castlebar Circuit Court, where he was appealing a conviction of obstruction and careless driving outside Shell's Aughoose compound.
Almost two years after Shell smuggled their Tunnel Boring Machine out of Dublin port in the middle of the night, and then spent 3 days meeting resistance across the country before getting stuck in the bog, they removed it from Erris Monday night.
To: Former participants/members of the Rossport Solidarity Camp, potential future volunteers, all who wish to work in solidarity for social, environmental and economic justice in the struggle against the Shell Corrib Gas Project. Recently appointed Judge Faughnan presided over this month's district court session at Belmullet. Two Shell to Sea related cases were finalised resulting in one campaigner avoiding conviction by receiving the benefit of the probation act and another - local Shell to Sea spokesperson Terence Conway - being convicted and fined E200. Last Saturday week (23rd Nov) in Inver Community Hall, the 2013 Peoples' Forum was held entitled "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - Who Polices the Police?. Judge Denis McLoughlin presided over yesterdays monthly sitting of Belmullet district court. Amongst the defendants were 5 people up on charges because of their opposition to the Shell Corrib gas project. Of the Shell related cases only one was heard, resulting in John Monaghan being convicted and fined E350 and disqualified from driving for one year. Of particular note in this case was that some of the evidence that was used to convict Mr Monaghan, came from Sgt Dermot Butler, who was one of the named Gardaí that a former Shell subcontractor claimed helped to transfer the alcohol that he delivered to Belmullet Garda station on behalf of Shell. Also of particular note was that one IRMS security guard also confirmed that IRMS had a practice of profiling certain members of the local community and other campaigners.
The controversial Shell Corrib gas pipeline project in Co Mayo has suffered a "major" setback after the Commercial Court today granted an order quashing the revised licence issued for the Shell gas terminal at Ballinaboy.
Judge Gibbons presided over this months district court in Belmullet. The courtroom was packed with supporters of the 8 Corrib defendants, but none of their cases were heard on the day. Following recent articles in both The Observer and The Sunday Times newspapers about Shell's use of a sub-contractor to deliver van loads of booze to Belmullet police station, a further delivery awaited Shell's cops yesterday morning as they went into the monthly Belmullet District Court session. To Sue: -- Local community forced to act after State agencies ignore danger -- This week has seen large numbers of people continually walking down to Shell's tunneling compound, disrupting work and blocking Shell traffic, and many people from the camp have taken advantage of the sunny weather to spend the days helping locals with turf collecting- many hands make light work! Meanwhile the guards have spent their time patrolling around harassing people on the roads. Today, Monday 24th of June, six people, two piloting kayaks, ventured out onto Sruth Fhada Conn estuary to disrupt the progress of a boat doing surveying work for the Shell Corrib gas project, in a continuation of Rossport Solidarity Camp's week of action. Today, Sunday 23 June, around eighty people stormed a work site of the controversial Shell Corrib Gas project near Rossport, Co. Mayo. Significant damage was caused to construction equipment. This was the latest event in thirteen years of struggle against the project, which faces concerted opposition from residents due to its dangerous, experimental nature. Press Release Call Out: On Good Friday the community opposing Shell's Corrib gas project in county Mayo held the 8th annual Good Friday walk to remember the campaigners in Nigeria who were murdered for opposing Shell's destruction of their homeland in 1995.
***NATIONAL ANIMAL RIGHTS ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE*** After a week and a half in custody, Shell to Sea activist Izzy Ní Graidim left Mountjoy prison yesterday at 1.30pm on temporary release! We'd expect that to turn into full release in a week's time when she's due back in there. Glengad compound invaded and work stopped for over 3 hours. Traffic control out of control. This last week has been another week of resistance to Shell controversial pipeline, with numerous truck blockades and disruption to workers. Ms Ní Ghraidm pleaded guilty to a Section 8 and 9 charge and refused to do community service as she felt her protest was a service to a community under siege from Shell. The Judge then sentenced Ms Ní Ghraidm to 3 months in jail. After 30 meters the Tunnel Boring Machine got bored Today, Shell to Sea held a morning protest outside Bellanaboy refinery to highlight Shell's announcement of profits of €19.6 billion for 2012. |
ED NOTE: Niall Harnett 2013 [R.I.P]. I have pinned Niall Harnett's feature article as a tribute to a great activist and a great person. You will be sorely missed Niall!
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