Home | Friday 16th July 2010 | Issue 731
BORING NONSENSE
DIRECT ACTION AT ROSSPORT HOTS UP
The ‘Beat The Boreholes’ campaign – the latest chapter in the long-term protests to stop Shell building an offshore gas pipeline and refinery on the west coast of Ireland at Rossport (see SchNEWS 730) – got off to a dramatic start this week with several sea actions.
At 7pm on Wednesday night (14th) a group of Shell-to-Sea protesters took to the waters of Broadhaven Bay in kayaks and rafts to stop a borehole drilling platform being brought in. They were met by a flotilla of five Garda water boats, with 16 coppers on board. Kayaks were capsized by police, with one protester who managed to get near the platform, Eoin Lawless, being tipped overboard. Garda jumped into the water, grabbed him and dragged him onto their boat, where he was violently manhandled with one policeman throttling him with a hand to the throat for 90 seconds. According to Lawless, the copper told him, “I have your last breath in my hands.” Afterwards Lawless called for human rights observers to be present at the site.
The following morning at 7am, more protesters were back on the water to continue to protect the bay from drilling. Again the five Garda boat with 16 on board were out, as well as 10 security boats.
Again the police overturned their small boats, and three kayaks and the ribbed-inflatable boat were seized and two protesters arrested for public order offences.
The 80 planned boreholes into the estuary are to survey the ground for the intended gas pipeline, which will go inland to the proposed refinery. Protests will continue and all are urged to get to Rossport to stop the boreholes.
