Shell say: We want you in Prison

mayo | environment | news report Saturday June 25, 2005 21:48 by Terry - Shell to Sea info at shelltosea dot com www.shelltosea.com

Shell’s latest move in driving people from their homes happened at 4pm today, Saturday, June 25th.

One Vincent Troy, acting for solicitors Eugene F. Collins, (Temple Chambers, 3 Burlington Road, Dublin 4), who work for Shell, arrived at the homes of Micheal O’Seighin; retired school teacher and local historian, Vincent McGrath; retired school teacher and musician; and those of three small farmers and owners of the land Shell wish to seize, Willie Corduff, Brendan Philbin, and Philip McGrath. Troy issued a ‘notice of motion’ to the effect that this Wednesday the 29th of June Shell would seek ‘attachment and committal’ for contempt of court. Translated into English this means this multi-national corporation is seeking the imprisonment of these five men for defending their homes, families, livelihoods, land and very lives from an unprecedented high pressure
upstream untreated gas pipeline. A pipeline which even Minister Noel Dempsey admits that the like of which has never been seen in the world before running alongside peoples’ homes.
This arises from an injunction granted to Shell by the High Court on the 4th of April and the peaceful prevention of Shell’s attempted entry on to private lands on the 15th of June.
See here: http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70289
On this occasion Shell personnel were acting on an unprecedented ‘Compulsory Acquisition Order’ (CAO), issued by statutory instrument by then Minister Frank Fahey (i.e. sneaked through by Fahey in 2001, rather than coming before open Dail debate). Also unprecedented in that CAOs have always only been used for public developments, e.g. state motorways, rather than private developments geared to the profit of international capitalists.

Frank Fahey
TD for Galway West
Ballybane Industrial Estate, Galway
Tel: 091-771020


Eugene F. Collins,
Temple Chambers,
3 Burlington Road,
Dublin 4.
Tel: 01-202 6400