Shell to Sea

[ludermor]

A lot of the locals working there are working in security and have been let go the past few weeks, this should get them a bit more work!

[Farrandeelin]

Masked gang attack staff at Shell gas site



Friday April 24 2009

Local agitators have been blamed for masterminding the attack on the Corrib Gas landfall site in Co Mayo, which resulted in thousands of euro worth of damage to property.

Gardai are satisfied that a small group of locals were the main culprits in the well-planned assault in which up to 15 masked men, armed with iron bars, set upon a security guard while other protesters cheered. The masked gang used a mechanical digger to destroy 25 metres of fencing.

It is the latest in a series of recent attacks on the property of Shell personnel and gardai in a campaign described as highly co-ordinated.

A car belonging to a detective garda in Belmullet was damaged in one incident, while another car, owned by a Shell employee, had acid poured on it while it was parked in Salthill, Galway.

Gardai said they were satisfied those involved in the recent incidents included locals, although they said there were some outside influences from members of subversive-related groups and full-time protesters. A hard core of less than 40 activists are believed to be behind the campaign.

One security guard was struck on the arm with an iron bar as the gang stormed the main entrance shortly before midnight on Wednesday.

In a separate incident, Willie Corduff (55), a prominent Shell to Sea campaigner, was hospitalised after being dragged by security guards from beneath a truck. He was being treated last night at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar.

Gardai hope to interview Mr Corduff about the incident after he has been discharged from hospital.

Assaulted

The Shell to Sea group claimed Mr Corduff, who spent 94 days in prison in 2005 for his opposition to the onshore pipeline, had been "viciously" and "brutally" assaulted. He had intended to remain under the truck until he had evidence that Shell had authorisation for the work.

Most of the security staff were keeping watch on a large group of protesters when the masked gang confronted the three guards left at the entrance and forced their way in.

Chief Superintendent Tony McNamara, who is in charge of the Mayo garda division, told the Irish Independent last night that the takeover of the Shell compound had been organised with almost military precision.

He called on people to "stand back from the brink" and appealed to them to engage with the forum set up by the Government to examine issues of concern.

He said consultations had taken place with the local planning authority and the gardai were satisfied that Shell were entitled to carry out the work they had begun at Glengad.

Energy Minister Eamon Ryan last night described the attack as a "source of real concern".

Expressing his anxiety, he warned: "If we go over into a form of violent process, it leads us down a path that is of no benefit to anyone."

- Tom Brady and om Shiel

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/masked-gang-attack-staff-at-shell-gas-site-1718533.html

Fair play to the masked men!! And to Willie Corduff.

[ludermor]

Fair play to a gang of thugs who beats a worker with an iron bar?

[Farrandeelin]

No but for standing up for their beliefs, the govt doesn't give a shit about the locals back there in my opinion.

[ludermor]

so you are happy they are beating up and intimidating other locals in order to stand up for their beliefs?
If one of your aggrieved students ( they might be young i know!!) handcuffed himself to your car and lied under the wheel would you stand aside and applaud him? Some people may share the beliefs but there are as many locals who dont do you support them as well??

[small white mayoman]

so you are happy they are beating up and intimidating other locals in order to stand up for their beliefs?
If one of your aggrieved students ( they might be young i know!!) handcuffed himself to your car and lied under the wheel would you stand aside and applaud him? Some people may share the beliefs but there are as many locals who dont do you support them as well??

you are correct there ludermor.there is a lot of intimidation of the locals that are working back there. i know one lad was told that he would end up like the ex shell security guard who was shot dead in bolivia

[ludermor]

FFS!!! no need to dramatise things  the lads are being intimidated every day but told not to say anything . its good money for them

[muppet]

Any masked men attacking anyone is out of order and doesn't help their case. Any reasonable law abiding person should condemn such behaviour. I hate seeing what Shell do around the world and especially in Mayo, but this is not the way.

[Owenmoresider]

This woman is at it yet again. Not well in the head at all. But then obstrcution and intimidation is the trademark of the S2S gang, it's time to sort them out.

Maura Harrington faces two dangerous driving charges


SHELL to sea activist Maura Harrington was before Ballina District Court last week on two counts of dangerous driving arising out of an incident that took place when Ms Harrington followed a bus carrying security workers from the Corrib gas project.
Garda Adrian Kearins told the court that on July 3 of last year he was on mobile patrol in Crossmolina with Garda Caroline Taaffe when they received a call about dangerous driving in Ballycastle involving a silver Volkswagen Bora.
Garda Kearins said he went to Ballycastle where he saw a silver Bora and a white transit van driving towards him. He then turned and followed the vehicles which turned down the Crossmolina road. The van stopped and Garda Kearins spoke to the driver, Mark O'Shea, who told him that he was concerned for his passengers due to the erratic driving of the vehicle behind him. The occupant of the silver Bora, Maura Harrington of Doohoma, Ballina was signalled to remain at the scene but it followed the white van when it pulled out.

Garda Kearins told the court he activated the sirens and blue lights and said the car in front, the Bora, was moving into the centre of the road and drove on the wrong side of the road. He said his only assumption was that the driver did not want him to pass. He said the road is narrow and that there was a continuous white line for about half a mile. He outlined that two vehicles came in the opposite direction on two separate occasions and the driver of the Bora had to swerve in both times to avoid a collision. Garda Kearins said shortly after the last vehicle passed, the driver of the transit van pulled in and the Bora also stopped. He spoke to the driver, Maura Harrington. Ms Harrington produced her driving licence and insurance.
He said the incident took place over a stretch of road of approximately 5km and between 8.45pm and 8.50pm. Garda Kearins asked Ms Harrington why she followed the van and she said it looked suspicious and she said she thought the gardaí were following the van rather than her.
The court heard that Keith O'Sullivan, a passenger in the white transit had filmed part of the incident on his mobile phone. The video had been forwarded via Bluetooth to Garda Taaffe, who in turn forwarded it to Detective Garda Leo Heaney, who downloaded the clip onto a DVD. The DVD was viewed in court. Mr O'Sullivan said that Ms Harrington's driving was scary at times.

The bus driver Mark O'Shea, a security worker and bus driver for IRMS Security, said he was bringing security staff to Ballina on the day in question. He said that when he pulled out from the site at Glengad, a silver Bora was behind him. He said he then pulled in to let the car pass at Aughoose church but the car pulled in front of him and blocked the van. He said the gardaí arrived and removed the vehicle and then the gardaí followed the van as they made their way to Ballycastle. He said he noticed the silver Bora again later on into the journey.
Solicitor for Ms Harrington, Alan Gannon, put it Mr O'Shea that he had pulled out in front of Ms Harrington at the Glengad site and that he had decided to make a complaint about her driving in case she would make a complaint about his driving.
Maura Harrington told the court that she was travelling in her car with her husband driving when a white van pulled out in front very sharply in front of them at Glengad. She said they continued on and followed the white van and attempted to make a complaint but there was no phone coverage in the area until she got to Aughoose church where the van had pulled in. She said they stopped in front of the van as they wanted to find out who were 'these unidentifiable people who had taken control of the place'.

Supt Frank Walsh put it to Ms Harrington that she was using the incident as 'colourful device' to establish who the people in the van were. He said she engaged in completely unlawful action and showed complete disregard for the rights of the other road users.
Ms Harrington's husband Naoise Ó Mongáin said Sgt Butler from Belmullet had viciously assaulted him at Aughoose church. When asked why he did not make a complaint he said it was pointless and that he had tried to make complaints over the years without success.
Judge Mary Devins said that in an attempt to appear clever, Mr Ó'Mongáin, was only appearing 'fatally ridiculous'.
Judge Devins adjourned the case to hear a witness from Ballina Garda Station who took the initial call of complaint and find out who it came from. The case was adjourned for mention to May 26.

[Billys Boots]

Any masked men attacking anyone is out of order and doesn't help their case.

Especially when it's far from clear on whose 'behalf' these 'masked men' were acting. 

[ludermor]

Is there no limits to what these lunatics will get up to.
There was a terrible carcrash in belmullet at the weekend between a young local lad and a car carrying 2 guards. It is obviously a terrrible tragedy for all involved ( and could have been worse, 3 guards were travelling from the one area and could easily have been in the same car.
The morning of the accident a few of the shell to sea crew landed at the scene and started taking photos of the crash site and of the surrounding areas. They are trying to link this crash (and the death of 2 people the weekend before in a house fire/smoke inhalation) to shell intimidation. I am f**king sickened by this!

[the Deel Rover]

Is there no limits to what these lunatics will get up to.
There was a terrible carcrash in belmullet at the weekend between a young local lad and a car carrying 2 guards. It is obviously a terrrible tragedy for all involved ( and could have been worse, 3 guards were travelling from the one area and could easily have been in the same car.
The morning of the accident a few of the shell to sea crew landed at the scene and started taking photos of the crash site and of the surrounding areas. They are trying to link this crash (and the death of 2 people the weekend before in a house fire/smoke inhalation) to shell intimidation. I am f**king sickened by this!

They can't be serious , it was a terrible week for the erris region with those two tragedies without trying to link them to shell for extra publicity i assume

[ludermor]

Its what they are putting out, the young fellas uncle is a spokesman for the group and they are saying it may be a way to silence them. the tragedy is bad enough without having to listen to this shit.

[muppet]

Silky that is straight from Shell.com, are you serious?

Here is a report on the equally dubious indymedia.org

However it is the only media organisation in this country that will publish a negative story about Shell.

The thing about that story is that they missed, for me, what is the most damning information.

The Gárdaí, at Shell's request, broke onto the man's land and threw himself and his (uninvited) defenders off the land in no uncertain terms.

For the next 3 days at 8am a group of Gárdaí arrived at his house banging on his door, roaring into bullhorns calling his name and bizzarrely they recorded the whole thing on video. We can only assume they were trying to provoke a stupid reaction from him and would then present it as evidence of his belligerence.

This abuse ended after three days when he finally met the local Gárda chief (who had ordered the whole thing) and presented evidence to him of his ownership of all of the land involved. (The Gárdaí had claimed it was County Council land).

A short time later the man had a stroke.

I understand that Shell issued an apology in a national newspaper. I believe there was no comment from the Gárdaí.

My source is a member of the man's family. He is not a member of Shell to Sea and neither am I.   

You never commented how sick you were on the above Luder.

[ludermor]

Care to comment about the latest goings on muppet?