Dreadlocked Campaigner vows to shave head to protest against Shell in Ireland

national | environment | press release

Saturday July 22, 2006 03:38

by shell to sea

dublinshelltosea at gmail dot com

dreadlocks will go if sponsorship target is reached.

Eoin Ó Broin, noted environmental and political campaigner, and one of the founders of the Shell to Sea campaign, has vowed to cut off his dreadlocks to raise money for the Rossport Solidarity Camp.

If he reaches his target of €2,000, his hair will be publicly cut on Grafton Street in Dublin on July 29th.

Eoin claims he can't remember his last haircut, and his dreadlocks represent "about six years" growth.

By this drastic action he is seeking to draw attention to the fact that the Shell to Sea campaign is continuing, and the lengths that people are prepared to go to resist Shell and the Irish government's scheme to install a dangerous, high pressure gas pipeline and a huge onshore refinery in Rossport, County Mayo.

People can donate money at pledgebank www.http://www.pledgebank.com/cutthedreadsoff (€10) or http://www.pledgebank.com/cutthedreads (€25) or in person at Connolly Books, the Sinn Féin Shop, Barracka Books in Cork or Charlie Byrne's Bookshop on Middle Street in Galway City.

Or look out for Eoin on Grafton Street or in Temple Bar next Thursday and Friday.
He'll be raising funds in person.

Bob Kavanagh, of the Rossport Solidarity Camp said:
"In the light of Shell's intransigence, and the failure of the government-appointed mediator to find a basis for a solution, the use of force by the Gardaí on behalf of the Shell Oil company is the only way the construction of the polluting refinery and high pressure pipeline can be attempted.”

“The Solidarity Camp is playing a vital role on the frontline of the struggle against the combined forces of big business and government, who are prepared to put the local community in danger, while denying the ordinary people of Ireland any benefit from the country's natural resources".

The public hair cutting on July 29th will coincide with the beginning of "the long walk", whereby a number of people plan to walk from Rossport to Dublin to raise awareness of the campaign in towns along the way.

Sponsorship money for Eoin is being collected at the following locations:
Dublin: The Sinn Féin Shop in Parnell Square,
and Connolly Books, Blooms Walk, off Ormond Quay.

Cork: Barracka Books, 61 Barrack Street, Cork City

Galway: Charlie Byrnes Bookshop, Middle Street, Galway

Sponsorship money can also be paid directly into the following account:

ACCOUNT: The Rossport Solidarity Camp Account
BANK: Bank of Ireland
SORT CODE: 905299
A/C NUMBER: 24306733
Narrative: HAIRCUT

BANK ID: BOFIE2D
IBAN number: IE83 BOFI 9052 9924 3067 33

if you would like to receive email updates from the Shell to Sea campaign, send a mail with your contact details to dublinshelltosea@gmail.com

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Comments (10 of 10)

Don't do it dude....

by Ciaron O'Reilly - Catholic Worker/Ploughshares(personal caopactiy)

Sat Jul 22, 2006 08:40

Don't do it dude!!!!!!

Your hair is your spiritual antennae......and you have been gifted with cable!

Start a fund for those who want you to stick it with it. I'll donate.

You'll make more by taking the dreadies hostage...."if I don't get x amount of money by x anount of time then dradies get it!" (see "Blazing Saddles" movie it worked for the black sherrif surrounded by Klansmen).

Go for it Ciaron

by Gnasher

Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:45

Why don't you get out the sheep shears too Ciaron. I dont think the dreadlocks are 'spiritual antennae', i think that is our mind. I think they are a fashion accessory or stage make-up prop perhaps. i think we should all be able to face the world without any such prop. There is a saying in psychology "people pretend to be what they are not".You know, like a con man pretends to be a businessman or Madonna pretends to be a cross wearing 'virgin'. In a world where illusion is sold and controlled by the evil empire of the US, Israel et al perhaps our best revolutionary act of resistanc might be realism, truth and justice.

Chop 'em off lads! (The dreads)

Eoin v Ciaron

by Quality Control

Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:58

Ciaron is blessed with a fuller head of hair on top. Eoin's crown is, ahem, thinning, a little bit. Mixing long hair and baldness is surely an insurrmountable political obstacle. Eoin is acting for the greater good.

Reply to Gnasher

by Ciaron

Sat Jul 22, 2006 13:48

At Large!

Gnasher baby,

I think you could raise more money if we get some tension going....you always get a much bigger crowd at Speakers Corner when you get a debate. So you set up two funds "Don't do it Eoin" and "Do do it Eoin"...you get the auction vibe going and drive it up. I'll kick off the "Don't do it" with a €20, there you go!

People have dreads for all sorts of reasons. Rasta partly as a celebration that black (& curley) is beautiflul and rejecting Imperial concepts of beauty. Me because I grew up in the racist state of Queensland where the aboriginal kidz I met believed they were ugly and defeated (Jamacins don't have this problem, because most of 'em thought everyone was black until later in life!). They are great folks to do jail time with...very laid back - generally speaking.

So I didn't want any white boy favours (hey aren't we still "the blacks of europe" ) and stopped combing my hair (ironing clothes/eating meet) in '77. in '88 I was held down in Boggo Rd. Jail and shorn (that took a lot of weight off my shoulders), In '98 I won my case in Berimah Prisno .after many threats...and was the first person to avoid a haircut in the history of the Northern Territory prison system. (Screws very disappointed!)

They were so keen to cut my hair at school & in prison, I concluded their must be something in it. I also grew up during the Vietnam War when long hair was aprotest about killing 2 1/2 million Indo-Chineseand the draft. (abuse removed - ed) Fair play to Eoin whatever he does. good for him for showing solidarity here.

how meny station's do you get on that cable..

by ntl cable user - home user

Sat Jul 22, 2006 22:44

pplgbnf at eircom dot net

dont cut. tie it up..... kiev.

Well Done Eoin

by John Carmody - Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN)

Tue Jul 25, 2006 13:33

arancampaigns at eircom dot net

ARAN, Po Box 722, Kildare, Ireland

087-6275579

Eoin, nice one mate hope it all goes great and well done for all the wonderful hard work your doing.

it's a big step

by save the dreads

Wed Jul 26, 2006 03:31

-who's cutting the dreads? Are you doing it yourself?

YOUR NAME HERE

by s2s

Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:15

we should be selling advertising - here's what comes up when people reply to the email sent out from dublinshelltosea@gmail.com:

Sponsored Links

Fake Dreads in 65 colours
The worlds's widest selection of synthetic double-ended dreads.
www.1stophair.com

Galway Singles
Over 5 million photo profiles Search our entire database free
www.mate1.com

Nappylocs
Make Neat dreadlocks using a tool how to book & natural products
www.nappylocs.com

protest at the shell offices, 52 lwr leeson street, 1PM tomorrow

by Tadhg McGrath - Shell to Sea

Thu Jul 27, 2006 17:11

A few of us are going to see if we can raise the profile of Eoin's haircut and the walk from Mayo by leafleting outside the Shell HQ at 52 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin at 1 o'clock tomorrow. Please try to join us if you are in town.

Activists will go to any lengths to resist Shell's onslaught

by Shell to Sea - Dublin Shell to Sea

Sat Jul 29, 2006 10:30

Dublinshelltosea at gmail dot com

c/o 134 Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7

0876181620

Demonstration outside Shell's Office in Dublin
News that the supposedly independent mediator Peter Cassell's had issued a report on the Corrib Gas dispute was greeted with wary scepticism by Anti-Shell campaigners today. A small group gathered to talk to the media outside Shell's Headquarters in Dublin at 52 Lower Leeson Street.

What really worries the local community in Erris is that Shell will use this report to justify resuming work on the refinery site at Bellinaboy, since no matter what route the pipeline takes it'll still terminate there. Locals are adamant that the refinery will never be built, and want to spread the word that the campaign is not just about a pipeline, but also about the effect Shell's plans will have on the environment in general if they get to build the refinery.

If Shell tries to resume work, they'll be met by stiff opposition from the local people and the activists at the Rossport Solidarity Camp. One campaigner is raising money for the camp by offering to cut off his dreadlocks in return for sponsorship (see www.pledgebank.com/cutthedreadsoff for more details).

He will cut his dreads off publicly on Grafton Street on Saturday 29th of July at 3PM.

Readers of this site will remember that it was reported on the day the so-called independent mediator was appointed, that he had recently canvassed for the Fianna Fáil candidate in the Meath By-Election, where his boss was Noel Dempsey. Since the two obviously have a history of working together to further Fiann Fáil interests, his views on Corrib must be taken with reservation.

Sure enough, he has suggested a re-route of the pipeline, which will mean a different community is threatened, but Dempsey and Shell will be pleased because the word "Rossport" will be out of the headlines.

Re-routing the pipeline won't make it safer. It'll still be a dangerous, experimental pipe pumping raw, odourless gas at extremely high pressure across a bog.

Involving Bord Gais in the scheme won't make it safer either. A high-pressure pipeline with a Bord Gais Éireann sticker on it will make just as big a bang as one with a Shell logo on the side.

All money raised will go to the Rossport Solidarity Camp

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Dreadlocked Campaigner vows to shave head to protest against Shell in Ireland

Comments (10 of 10)