Rossport Solidarity Day 15th September

mayo | environment | news report

Monday September 15, 2008 22:57

by Sam (text), Simon (photo's) - Rossport Solidarity Camp - Shell to Sea

London protests in support of Maura Harrington's hunger strike

Today Maura Harrington marked her birthday with a seventh day on hunger strike, while supporters from the UK & Ireland demonstrated across London to bring attention to her protest. Maura, a teacher in NW Mayo, is part of the Shell To Sea Campaign which has been actively opposing Shell's latest attempts to lay an 80 km sea based stretch of gas pipeline.

Maura's hunger strike began on Tuesday in protest at the arrival of the Solitaire ship which was to lay the pipeline for Shell. Maura 's has declared that her protest will continue until the Solitaire agrees to leave Ireland without laying the pipeline.

Two Irish neighbours of Maura picketed the Shell HQ from midnight Sunday until 9am with a candle lit vigil for their friend. At 7am this morning Shell workers were greeted with leaflets & informed of Maura's plight.

Next was AllSeas UK Ltd who own the Solitaire pipe-laying ship. 30 people banged pans, blew whistles & handed out leaflets outside the registered office of AllSeas. A blank sticker had been placed over their company label & someone from inside the building claimed that no-one was home. Eventually a security guard took a letter from the protesters, addressed to the Chief Executive, demanding that the Solitaire is removed from Irish waters immediately.

After an hour at AllSeas the crowd processed to the Irish embassy shouting ''Irish woman on hunger strike. No new Shell pipeline''. The Irish embassy refused to take a letter from an elderly Mayo woman. The protesters were asking that the Irish embassy protect its citizens such as Maura who are attempting to protect their community from the health and safety and environmental nightmare that the pipeline poses, instead of supporting the Garda intimidation and brutality.

The Norwegian embassy was the last to be visited. Norway is profiteering from the oppression of people in Ireland. It's state oil company, Statoil is working in partnership with Shell. Here a member of staff did come out to meet us and accepted a burning candle as a symbol of our solidarity with Maura and the request of the campaign that the Norwegian Government send the Solitaire home.

As Maura's condition deteriorates, the Solitaire is yet to respond and leave Ireland. Daily protests continue with a international day of solidarity action planned for this coming Saturday.