Dublin Shell to Sea

News Release
Issued by Dublin Shell to Sea
Friday, 19th February, 2010

SHELL STARTING TO RECOGNISE THAT INLAND REFINERY IS NOT VIABLE

-- Major rally planned for jailed fisherman Pat O’Donnell at GPO, Dublin on Saturday at 2pm --

Shell’s decision to suspend key parts of its work on the Corrib Gas project is the beginning of a recognition by the company that its experimental inland refinery project is “not going to work”, according to the Shell to Sea campaign.

Vindication of the protesters has created the opportunity to find a political solution, but the Minister is spurning it, writes FINTAN O'TOOLE 
YOU MAY have seen or heard reports that an explosion in a natural gas pipeline, so large that people thought it was an earthquake, killed five people in Connecticut the weekend before last. This was an obvious hoax. It could not have happened.
Natural gas pipelines are completely safe, and people who think otherwise are headbangers, cranks and subversives.

A large contingent of Shell to Sea activists mostly from the Kildare branch along with people from Dublin Shell to Sea were out in force distributing the group’s new information leaflet on Saturday in Newbridge. The ‘Shell to Sea’ campaign which seeks to ensure the proposed Corrib gas terminal and pipeline are constructed offshore, whilst also highlighting the environmental, planning and health and safety neglect as well as the economic consequences of this government backed plan.

Dublin Shell to Sea have produced 120,000 copies of a four page leaflet that explains all the facts behind the struggle with a particular focus on the Great Oil & Gas Giveaway.  These will be distributed all over Ireland in the next months, if you want some to distribute locally contact us.  You can read the text or download a PDF file of the leaflet on this page.

On the 9th of September  in Belmullet District court, Maura Harrington was jailed for the fourth time this year over her opposition to Shell's plans in Mayo. Judge Mary Devins sentenced Ms Harrington to 3 months in jail for assaulting an employee of IRMS, and 3 months for trespassing in a farmyard close to the landfall site in Glengad on June 19 2008. Ms Harrington was also fined a total of €1000.

In Bellmullet court on Thursday, five Shell to Sea protesters were up for hearings on charges ranging from last August 2008 to this June 2009. Judge Anderson dismissed several charges on technical points but was very harsh in serving two of the campaigners with four and eight month prison  sentences 

You can get in contact with a local Shell to Sea group in by contacting any of the e-mail addresses below.  Many of the groups have regular meetings.  At the meetings we discuss how we can help the campaign, we organise public actions and demos and media work etc. Its always great to have new people with new ideas getting involved and you don’t have to have ever been involved in anything else before.

This is a generic Shell to Sea leaflet you can download and use for local organising purposes.  If you open it in Adobe reader you will be able to type in the contact details under the Contact your local S2S group heading of your local Shell to Sea group before your print it off.

This afternoon seven Shell to Sea activists in kayaks visited the Toisa Independent, which supplies pipe to the Solitaire, a vessel used by Shell to lay the Corrib gas pipeline.  The Solitaire, which left Broadhaven Bay (1) yesterday after laying the first section of pipe for the project, has been the target of several actions recently in the continual campaign against Shell. (2)  Despite Shell's increasingly heavy handed response to protests, Shell to Sea activist's have continued their fight. (3)

Text of Dublin Shell to Sea leaflet in response to the (1st) jailing of Maura Harrington in March.  Works for the new jailng two as most of it focuses on the great gas rip off.  It's attached as a PDF file, print som out and distribute them.