Shell to Sea Issues Compulsory Acquisition Order on Shell Office in Belmullet

mayo | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Monday September 13, 2010 19:06

by jen debender - Rossport Solidarity Camp

“Shell has decades of experience in compulsory acquiring lands against people’s wishes and we will endeavour to bring the same high standards to Erris” –'Shell' executive in mock ceremony

Local residents gathered at the Shell office in Belmullet early Monday morning to serve a Compulsory Acquisition Order (CAO) on Shell’s property and to prevent Shell workers from entering the building.

Campaigners got creative as they staged the mock ‘acquisition’ on Shell’s front doorstep. A ‘compound’ was established with construction barricades and traffic cones, and one person dressed up as a Shell executive served the acquisition order for the area. Campaigners dressed up as Shell workers attempted to lay a pipeline, and there were even a few private security mercenaries there to guard against protesters. However in the end the protesters broke into the ‘compound’ and ran away with the pipeline, much to Shell’s dismay! (Video footage to follow).

This light-hearted action highlights a much more serious issue that is about to come up in the oral hearing this week. An Bord Pleanála’s oral hearing into the ‘onshore’ part of the pipeline (which includes the largest subsea tunnel operation of its kind in Europe) will continue on Tuesday, when Shell will be making its application for CAOs on private lands in Glengad. Many of us remember the last time Shell were granted CAOs in 2005, which resulted in the Rossport Five spending 94 days in prison for not complying with the acquisition orders.

“It is outrageous that a private multinational can take land from local people without their consent. We remember the courageous stance of the Rossport Five and warn Shell that people will not give up their land without a fight,” says Laurence Coyle, a Glengad landowner who is under threat of a CAO from Shell.

On top of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, the recent gas explosion in San Francisco on Friday accelerates fears and safety concerns of the community here in Erris, County Mayo. So far there have been at least four deaths, dozens of injuries, and more than 50 buildings have been burned to the ground after the ruptured pipeline triggered a massive explosion and intense fires. This disaster contradicts Shell’s claim that people will be safe within 273 metres either side of the pipeline and affirms local people’s concerns that there is no such thing as ‘fail safe.’

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Comments (4 of 4)

Video

by RSC - RSC

Mon Sep 13, 2010 21:00

Here's a video of the mock ‘acquisition’ outside Shell's offices in Belmullet

Caption: Video Id: nzYs1h1oHlU Type: Youtube Video
Shell to Sea Issues Compulsory Acquisition Order on Shell Office

Great Work!

by Anne

Mon Sep 13, 2010 23:42

Very enjoyable!

Great to see such spirit after ten years of Shell hell.

Long may you continue.

Absolutely Brilliant

by Eamonn O'Coilea'in - Republic of Ireland

Tue Sep 14, 2010 07:16

What an incredible way to show $hell what Mondays are for, the people, just keep on being creative; telling the the tale of what's going on in ERRIS. Barclay's Bank of England own 54.2 Million shares of Royal Dutch$hell, They own the majority of shares, so they control the process of how it will be built, and the Irish gov has little say , or so they THINK . Will ABP stand up for their people and save the future of Ireland ?
OR Is that why the Queen is finally coming to Ireland, Mayo after 800 yrs, to see whats the hold up, lets do some maths; 54.2 million shares at 26pence sterling =14,920,000 x 4qtly = 59,680,000 million,just in share prices profit every year. Since 2000 x 10 years 596.8 million profit.so far
Thats just the Banks quarterly profit x 4, lets go one step further 54 million a day and when you have controlling interest of most shares(54.2 ) = 26-28 million a day profit. And the Irish Government are looking for ways to cut back on spending so they can fly first class to England. will Ireland ever get out of the dark ages with Fina Fall, or are they truly going to sell out the Irish peoples right as a free state and give our Natural Resources to ENGLAND After all the god dam suffering for Centuries that they have bestowed on the Irish Nation, They want our oil and gas too

Connolly forecast it all

by Gearóid - IWU

Tue Sep 14, 2010 14:26

Pathetic and all as it is Eamonn, James Connolly accurately predicted this sorry outcome to the 26 county capitalist fiasco.

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Shell to Sea Issues Compulsory Acquisition Order on Shell Office in Belmullet

Comments (4 of 4)