Workers Solidarity Movement

Shell's latest plan to impose its experimental gas pipeline in Kilcommon, Erris is to tunnel a 5km tunnel five metros under the seabed of Scruwaddacon Bay. This would however still leave many houses inside the blast radius in the event of a pipeline explosion that either ruptured this tunnel or along the 4km that would still be near the surface at landfall or between the bay and the refinery at Bellanaboy.

Shell to Sea campaigner Niall Harnett was sentenced at Ballina on Wednesday to six months in Castlerea prison for protests against Shell's proposed experimental pipeline.  The sentence arose from Niall going to the aid of another Shell to Sea campaigner during a 'Reclaim the Beach' protest in 2008.  He also had a five month sentence confirmed by the court – these sentences will be served concurrently. Mr Harnett further had a two year driving ban affirmed. 

Around 25 activists have set up 2 blockades around the Shell Gas terminal in Bacton, Norfolk, UK in solidarity with Pat O'Donnell & the community in Rossport, Mayo and against the destruction of environment and communities by Shell world-wide.

40 members of the new Anti-Water Tax Campaign from Waterford, Cork and Dublin protested outside the Green Party conference last weekend.  John Gormley and his fellow Green TDs have been leading the charge to impose this additional charge on households, pretending a regressive tax is somehow an environmental measure.

Around the time of the visit of Shell’s pipe-laying ship the Solitaire in June it became clear that the Gardai had been told that they could do anything to remove Shell to Sea campaigners from the scene and they would be looked after. Rulings from the district court, in particular the denial of bail to 7 campaigners charged with the most minor of public order offences removed people with vital water skills from the area by interning them in Mountjoy and Castlerea prisons. Local fisherman Pat O’Donnell had one of his boat sunk from underhim when four masked men boarded the boat in the middle of the night and held Pat and the other crew member at gun point while they sabotaged the boat leading to its sinking. When Pat took to sea in another boat as the Solitaire arrived he was arrested under the Public Order Act for loitering and once more sent to prison leaving the way clear for the Solitaire.

Up until 2006 all WSM articles published after 1990 were hosted as part of the Struggle collection on another server.  We hope to eventually move all the articles stored there to this site but in the meantime these subject indices take you to the pages still stored on that site.

This week as it was revealed in the Irish Times that 20 months after entering into a legal agreement with local fishermen Shell has still not submitted an application as required to the Environmental Protection Agency to review the emissions licence for the experimental gas pipeline it is imposing on the people of Erris. Yet this week 27 Shell to Sea campaigners are being prosecuted on behalf of Shell in the local courts and today one of them received three five month sentences.
Pic: Many of the 27 at a previous court appearance, in the front row Niall is far right, Pat is in the middle and Maura is on the far left

The ruling class strategy of making working people pay for the crisis has seen public and private sector pay cuts, job losses, welfare reductions and slashing of important services like special needs assistants for children with physical and mental problems. Coming soon, if Cowan and Gormley have their way, is the return of a domestic water tax.

The week before last Erris fisherman Pat O'Donnell was jailed for seven months for his part in the communities ongoing resistance to Shell's attempt to impose an experimental gas pipeline on them. Across the country local Shell to Sea groups have been holding solidarity protests and other events for Pat. In Dublin this has included two protests and a public meeting in UCD. Meanwhile Shell have been forced to admit a temporary defeat in the face of local opposition and call off the construction they have planned for Glengad this year.