Four Years Walking

mayo | environment | news report

Saturday March 22, 2008 20:11

by Tadhg McGrath

Good Friday Rossport Solidarity Walk 2008

A large number of people took a chance on yesterday's changeable weather to join the annual Good Friday Rossport Solidarity walk. The walk, now in it's fourth year, is along the original route planned by Shell for their production pipeline, which was supposed to carry raw gas at extremely high pressure to the refinery at Bellanaboy.

This route was abandoned by Shell in the face of protests, but not before five local men had to spend three months away from their families locked up in a high security prison in Dublin. Shell keep saying that they will announce the new route for the pipeline "soon", but it seems that they have yet to find an opportune moment. Deliberations ended in January, we are told, but for some reason they are slow to make a formal announcement of their new plan.

Some people are wondering if they are waiting for a certain Dublin politician to announce his resignation, so they can then slip out the announcement while the mainstream media have their hands full...

Yesterday's walk was started by Sister Majella McCarron, veteran of campaigns against Shell in Africa. Nine walkers carried crosses bearing the names of Baribor Bera, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbokoo, Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, Paul Levura,Felix Nuate and Ken Saro Wiwa, who were hanged one by one at Port Harcourt Prison, Nigeria, in 1995 because of their opposition to Shell's activities in the Niger Delta.

The weather was fine for the most part, and there were a few scheduled stops for speeches and reflection, as well as one to allow shelter from the only rain shower. Spirits were high and people were looking forward to the new season of resistance against the onshore refinery and production pipeline scheme.

Many people were swapping theories about the local groups that Shell have said they are funding, under a part of the scheme which was recommended by the government appointed mediator Peter Cassels, in his 2006 report where he conceded that there was no basis for mediation while Shell insisted on an onshore refinery and production pipeline.

Of the nine local groups which are said to have accepted money, the names include a group which does not seem to have very many, if any, members; other bodies which carry out no activities; a group who seem to have accepted funding without ever actually receiving a penny (seeing the cheque going instead to another organisation's bank account) and a personal favourite, a "local group" which amounts to an agreement of one person to do a sponsored walk for a registered national charity.

Some wags were saying they intend to apply for funding from Shell next year for the Rossport Good Friday Walk committee, an organisation which has a large amount of visible support, and carries out a very successful activity every year.

For more information on Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight see here: remembersarowiwa.com,
www.ratical.org/corporations/OgoniFactS, www.indymedia.ie/article/85029.

For pictures of the previous Good Friday Walks click here-
2005: www.flickr.com/photos/mayogas/sets/455853/

2006: ireland.indymedia.org/article/75458

2007: http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=426&event=1