Peaceful Protests and Political Policing

One of the most contentious issues surrounding the Corrib Gas controversy is the manner in which the protests have been policed and the numbers of police that have been provided by the State to ensure the smooth running of Shell’s project. The Gardaí have functioned as a private security for Shell, with the tax payer picking up the bill. In October 2007 it was revealed by Justice Minister Brian Lenihan that in the previous year the state has spent €8.1 million on providing policing for the Corrib project.

The large scale police operation that has accompanied the project began in October 2006 to allow Shell restart work after the successful 16 month Shell to Sea picket. In the words of Superintendent Joseph Gannon of Belmullet Station “The entrance to the site was blocked for a year and a half. Local people had a veto on who went in and out of the site: it was out of this situation that the current operation was born”. On the 26th of September 2006 a convoy of Shell workers, plant equipment and materials was prevented from entering the site by Shell to Sea campaigners, who stood in front of the site gates praying the rosary. Early in the morning of the 3rd of October 2006 approximately 170 police descended on the area erecting roadblocks and crowd control barriers around the refinery site gates. Protesters again attempted to prevent Shell workers and materials entering the site by holding a sit down protest in front of the gates. Protesters were forcibly removed by Gardaí and penned behind barriers.

In the months after 3rd October 2006 protesters gathered each working morning between 6:30am and 7am engaging in sit down blocks, slow walks, and marches in front of Shell’s convoy of materials and workers, maintaining presence outside the proposed refinery site gates until 6pm. Protests took place in the context of heavy police presence. Numerous injuries were sustained by Shell to Sea campaigners and complaints relating to injuries as well as verbal abuse were lodged in the local Garda station. The days and weeks succeeding Shell’s recommencement of work at Bellanaboy witnessed a series of solidarity actions, which took place across the country, by the Shell to Sea network. Shell’s offices in Dublin were occupied by Dublin Shell to Sea and petrol stations from Derry to Cork have been picketed by campaigners. On October 20th a national day of action was held at Bellanaboy. Over two hundred campaigners and supporters from around the country travelled to Mayo to participate in a blockade of the site.

On the 10th of November 2006 a large protest was planned to commemorate Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni eight who were hanged by the Nigerian Government in 1995 for their protest against Shell’s activities in the Niger Delta. Protesters aimed to shut the refinery construction site for the day using a series of sit-down blockades. During the protest police baton charged a group of protesters off the road to allow Shell trucks to gain access to the refinery site. The incident sparked widespread condemnation of the manner in which the protests were being policed.

From the beginning of the large scale policing operation that accompanied Shell’s recommencement of work in autumn 2006 the police implemented a no-arrest policy. The policy was outlined in an article entitled ‘Bellanaboy: Reclaiming the Streets’ published in Garda Review the magazine of the Garda Representative Association. In the article Sergeant Joseph Gannon outlined the manner in which the Shell to Sea picket was broken on the 3rd of October further stating “There were no arrests [that day]. That was part of our strategy: we did not want to facilitate anyone down there with a route to martyrdom. That has been the policy ever since.” Instead of arresting protesters, Gardai have used violence in an attempt to deter further protests against Shell. The no arrest policy is clearly politically motivated and has tried to silence campaigners by making their protest invisible.

However despite the gardai violence, people continued to protest and by early 2007, arrests were being made. Gardai singled out prominent community activists, serving them with spurious charges such as assault. One activist, John Monaghan, was arrested for assault at the polling station during government election. He was found not guilty on appeal with the judge saying there wasn't enough evidence to find him guilty. This despite Judge Mary Devins finding him guilty initally. He was also charged with another assault but this was dropped when the guards were told the case would be held before a jury. There are ongoing court cases and complaints to the Garda Ombusman but so far no Gardai have been reprimanded or suspended. Instead there does seem to be a correlation with arresting officers getting promotion or transfers! A number of people are challenging 3 month prison sentences. Despite being married to a minister in the ruling FF party (Jimmy Devins TD), Judge Mary Devins refuses to accept a conflict of interest and continues to harshly sentence Shell to Sea activists.