Rest of Europe – Page 41

Rossport: 150 people attempt to take down Shell’s compound

On Saturday 9th May approx 150 S2S supporters both from across the country and within the local community have made a sustained effort to halt the ongoing work at the head of the proposed Shell pipeline at its site in Glengad. People of all ages particpated in the action, where ropes and chains where used to attempt to pull down the outer fencing of the site. These effort have so far been repulsed by a very large security operation from both the state and private security firm IRM security. There is in excess of 150 garda, incuding the notorious public order units. Most are posted and lined out at the outside rear of the compound, complimented on the inside by a further 100 hired hands IRM Security

At present there have been some “arrests ” of supporters at tonight action so far. Figures at present range from 6-8. These people are being physically detained but the cops are refusing to officially arrest them, or at least refusing to comment publically that the arrests have been made, and won’t tell observers which Garda station those detained are being taken to. Garda seem to be deliberate targeting people from outside the local area, and avoiding arresting local members of the community. It has been suggested that this make much better media coverage, no doubt some of which we will see in tomorrow papers. There is a prison van, the type used to carry prisonsers to court, inside the compound where Shell and security staff work. Whilst there is movement of cops in and out of the van, it is unclear if people are being detained in it at the moment.

The situation has been described by one supporter as calm, though there are continung skirmishes as people attempt to disrupt the ongoing controversial and devisive work being carried out by Shell againist the wishes of the local community.

EUROFLASHMOB: EUROPE UNITED AGAINST AIRPORT EXPANSION

Saturday 16 May 2009. The day of the Eurovision Song Contest.
12 noon on the dot at Heathrow Terminal 1 Departures.
www.euroflashmob.com.

Join Heathrow Flashmobbers in a Europe-wide Flash Mob – taking place on the same day at 6 airports across Europe.

Saturday 16 May 2009. The day of the Eurovision Song Contest.
12 noon on the dot at Heathrow Terminal 1 Departures.
www.euroflashmob.com.

Join Heathrow Flashmobbers in a Europe-wide Flash Mob – taking place on the same day at 6 airports across Europe.

Flash Heathrow! Flash Paris! Flash Frankfurt! Flash Schipol! Flash Brussels! Flash Dublin!

Each flashmob will be singing Eurovision classics (song-sheets provided), so download your favourite eurovision song onto your ipod or phone and bring your friends, instruments, hats, wigs, and your dancing shoes and let’s party.

Now for the serious bit: airport expansion is seriously bad for local people, increased noise, air pollution, and especially the climate. The aviation industry want to expand airports across the UK and Europe, but opposition is huge, and the scientists are telling us we have to drastically cut emissions if we are to beat climate change. Flashmobs are a fun way to highlight the real opposition there is to expansion at airports across Europe. Here’s another big chance to show our opposition to a 3rd runway at Heathrow.

See you in Heathrow Terminal 1 Departures at 12 noon on the dot!

Tell BAA to get in tune: No Third Runway.

www.euroflashmob.com

Shell compound in glengad is currently being removed and Remove Shell’s Illegal Fences – National Day of Action 9 May – CALL OUT

May 3, 2009
Direct action against Shell in Mayo

May 3, 2009
Direct action against Shell in Mayo
Around 100 members of the Erris community are currently removing shell’s illegal fencing in Glengadd. Whilst some people have locked onto the fence more have thrown ropes over other sections of the fence and are attempting to pull the pallisade fencing down. The private security firm IRMS (with links to european fascists) have a heavy presence and are attempting to cut the ropes.
A garda presence is starting to assemble. The mood is positive.

This is the third time in ten days Shell’s compound has faced direct action from the community

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Saturday 9th May, 2009 at 6pm – Day of Action – Support Needed to Remove Shell Fences from Glengad.

Tearing Down the Barricades
This is a Call Out from the united community of Erris Co Mayo to all our national and international supporters, asking you to come to Glengad this coming Saturday 9th May at 6pm in the evening, on a Day of Action to help us remove Shell’s illegal fences from the area.

As you know, Shell returned to Glengad with fences and machinery on Wednesday 22nd April, with force and violence. Since then there have been a number of attempts at removing the fences and stopping the work, with a mixture of failure and success.

As you can see from the photos and footage below, the will is clearly there to fight Shell, in spite of the fact that large numbers of Shell security and Gardai have been drafted into the area. But what is also clear is that numbers are needed to achieve success. Numbers, People, Bodies. That means you. Please come.

Rossport Solidarity Camp Contact Details: Phone 085 1141170 or email rossportsolidaritycamp (at) gmail (dot) com
By way of background to the current mood in Erris, let’s remind ourselves of 2 key recent events.

In the early hours of Thursday 13rd April, Shell mercenaries viciously attacked Willie Corduff within the confines of the Shell compound.

On Thursday 30th April at a community meeting with Ministers Eamon Ryan and Eamon O’Cuiv, people realised that trying to ‘talk’ to these guys was a fruitless exercise. There were calls from all corners of the community for civil disobedience, the physical stopping of the project and the taking of the ‘law into our own hands’, when the ministers refused to invite Shell to pull back to allow breathing space to resolve the conflict.

This is serious stuff. The mood in Erris now is that people are willing to pay any price to Stop Shell, and to take action accordingly.

But we need support, in numbers, to achieve the critical mass of people required to be effective. To be effective in pulling down Shell fences in order to remove them.

This protest is about taking direct action against the Shell machine and removing it from Glengad.

The pictures and footage included in this article, which show local people attempting to remove fences today, demonstrate that Action has begun in earnest this Spring and will continue in the coming weeks and months. But it’s going to be a battle, when faced, like today, with strong fences and large numbers of Shell security and Gardai. A similar attempt was made last Friday by members of the local community which included Pobal Le Cheile, Pobal Cill Chomain, the Rossport Solidarity Camp and Shell to Sea, but numbers were limited. All groups agreed, at a meeting on the ground, that a National Day of Action next Saturday 9th May was required to build momentum. That is why local people are calling for support, in numbers, to build strength against the show of force against us.

The weather is improving steadily and The Rossport Solidarity Camp is being rebuilt near the shore. People are welcome to come and stay at the camp or the camp house. Phone 085 1141170 or email rossportsolidaritycamp (at) gmail (dot) com

Join us in taking action against Shell. Don’t come empty-handed. Please spread the word amongst your friends, groups and networks.

See you in Glengad.

http://www.shelltosea.com

Abseil blockade of nuclear waste train in Germany

An abseiling 27-year-old female activist from France held up a train carrying over 1000 tonnes of ‘depleted’ uranium through a densely populated region of Germany for two hours on Monday 27 April, the day after the 23rd anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster – the world’s worst ever civil nuclear accident.

A 25-car train half a kilometre long has just carried 1,250 tonnes of depleted uranium through the most densely populated region of Germany – destination unknown, presumably France. The train left Germany’s only uranium enrichment plant at Gronau (52° 12′, 160 km south of Hamburg) in the night from 27 to 28 April. Usually trains from the German-Dutch-British-owned enrichment plant close to the city of Münster and the Dutch border have taken depleted uranium to Rotterdam for shipment to Russia, where it’s been dumped in the open air.

The Urenco company is extremely secretive about the transports. This time journalists were told by federal police that the train headed for Duisburg and on to France.

That would have taken the dangerous cargo through the densely populated Ruhr and Rhineland areas – if the police information is correct.

Anti-nuclear activists say they can only speculate what’s to be done with the uranium waste in France.

They expect it will be processed into uranium oxide in the Pierrelatte nuclear centre to make it easier to store. Construction of an interim storage for uranium oxide has been approved. Activists say it could be decades before the waste is returned to Germany.
Very close to Pierrelatte are four pressurised water reactors at Tricastin, where uranium was found in ground water last summer.

The train from Gronau was held up by two hours because a female French activist who lives in Germany, 27-year-old Cécile Lecomte, had abseiled over the tracks from a road overpass. She and other climbers have made such a name for themselves in disrupting nuclear transports that police now always have climbing specialists along on the trains to take the protesters down.

In January last year Lecomte held up a train for nearly seven hours by abseiling over its route. This most recent climbing action was her third in one and a half years on this non-electrified section of railway.

The protest a day after the Chernobyl anniversary got some public attention from a demonstration at Münster central station and near the abseiling overpass.

“The aim is to reveal the secret atomic transports from the Gronau uranium enrichment plant and to draw people’s attention to the policy of Urenco,” she writes. ( http://de.indymedia.org/2009/04/248604.shtml )

“Urenco does not inform people about these transports and the dangers connected with them. On the contrary, people only get to hear about them when atomic power opponents manage to expose the departure of atomic transports by days of precise observation. It was first thought [the most recent] consignment was going to Russia.”

Lecomte writes that she means her action to be a signal against atomic policy in general and expansion of the Gronau enrichment plant in particular.

“Radioactivity knows no borders. What kind of an end to atomic power is it if Gronau is expanded, thereby supporting the construction of new nuclear plants – such as the EPR in Flamanville, France – by supplying the product to power stations all over the globe.

“The waste is carted right across Europe in secret transports. That is no solution to the nuclear waste problem. On the contrary, the population is exposed to ever more dangers, the environment is polluted ever more.

“Atomic installations need to be switched off immediately,” Lecomte writes.

Pictures of the abseiling at http://www.anti-atom-aktuell.de/fotos/2009-04-27_uranzugstopp-haeger/. More about Lecomte’s climbing protests at http://www.eichhoernchen.ouvaton.org/deutsch/anti-atom/Luftakrobatik-Atomtransporte.html .

Report from Indymedia Germany: http://de.indymedia.org/2009/04/248655.shtml

Whaling Ship Sunk Again by Agenda 21 in Norway & Marine Monkeywrenching Guide

On the evening of the 23rd of April, Agenda 21 snuck onto a Norwegian whaling ship making repairs, flooding the engine room and scuttling the ship to delay the 2009 killing season.

anonymous communique:

“APRIL 24, 2009
HENNINGSVAER, NORWAY – WHALING SHIP SUNK

ON THE EVENING OF THE 23RD OF APRIL WE SNUCK ONTO A NORWEGIAN WHALING SHIP MAKING REPAIRS IN THE LOFOTEN ISLANDS IN
PREPARATION FOR THE 2009 WHALING SEASON. TO DELAY THE KILLING SEASON AND TO PROTEST THE CONTINUED ILLEGAL EXPORT OF WHALE MEAT TO JAPAN WE DISASSEMBLED A VALVE AND FLOODED THE ENGINE ROOM. UNFORTUNATELY LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS WERE ABLE TO RESPOND JUST MOMENTS BEFORE THE SHIP SETTLED ON THE BOTTOM BUT NOT BEFORE THE SHIP HAD ALREADY BEEN COMPLETELY FILLED WITH SEA WATER AND THE DAMAGE DONE. FOR BOTH FISHERIES INVESTORS IN TOKYO AND INSURANCE UNDERWRITERS IN OSLO INVESTING IN THE NORWEGIAN WHALING INDUSTRY CAN ONLY LEAD TO SUNKEN PROFITS. AS A DIRECT RESULT OF A GROWING INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES WE CAME TO HENNINGSVAER. WE SAW THE SKARBAKK.

WE SANK THE BASTARD. -AGENDA 21″

Source – http://www.directaction.info/news_apr25_09.htm

Previous action
Communique – http://www.directaction.info/news_sep11_07.htm
Pictures – http://www.directaction.info/news_sep03_07.htm
Victory – http://www.directaction.info/news_oct21_07.htm

More info – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda_21

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Check out the Marine Monkeywrenching Guide

3 Lappersfort occupiers released, with deportation notices

Yesterday (friday 24th april) the 3 Lappersfort occupiers arrested on tuesday night were released (original article about arrest http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/22493). Upon signing out of the Brugge prison they were all issued with deportation notices, ordering them to leave the “Kingdom of Belgium” by midnight on the 29.04.2009. One of them signed the paper after being threatened with being sent back into the cell if refusing. The other two refused to sign the paper and were still released, but as yet we’re not sure if the deportation notice has any legal grounds or not. Obviously the pigs are using their socalled “position of authority” to intimidate the occupiers and those supporting them, and this attempted deportation is simply an extreme and over-the-top expression of their desire to be rid of us before the issues of the lappersfort, of “zonevreemde” forests and police repression get too big for them to handle. The notice itself seems extremly dodgy, it has only been signed by the prison director, refers from a law from 1980, and one is issued without the official name of the person to be deported. But these days here in Brugge nothing is surprising anymore, and the police may take this “chance” to raid the camp to find the “illegal” people there. The facist pig-protectors of the “Belgian Reich” are again flexing their little muscles, and this one case is another example of the facism of “fortress Europe” and its protectors, and the violent repression practised against those who show any form of resistance. Resorting to such measures only shows us that the police here feel threatened by our presence in the forest.
Meanwhile the pigs still have the ID’s and belongings of many people, and we’re trying to find out whether the raid at a local friends house on wendesday afternoon was legal or not, and whether or not we have a legal case against the Brugge police. (For original article about raid http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/22512).
Following the release of the 3 we now know more about their arrest on tuesday. At least 6-10 piggies had been waiting in the bushes, some dressed in camouflage and black, some in uniform, some with balaclavas and at least one dog. They came from behind the bushes and trees from all directions in a pathetic hollywood-style ambush, violently forcing 3 people to the ground, twisting their arms and using pressure-points. Fingerprints and photos were taken, and after the raid the pigs managed to positively identify one of the 3. The coppers here are using their tactics of kidnapping, ambush, violence and lies to crush our camp, our campaign, and to make others afraid of coming to visit, show support or move in. Spring is happening, and we are trying to get ready for a busy summer of campaigning and actions, despite constant police harassment. Just last night, while we celebrated the release of our friends, 3 people were forced to run from police after returning to the camp from collecting bread from a local bakery supporting the occupiers. The piggies, obviously with nothing better to do, waited long in to the night, keeping a close eye on the bag of bread dumped in the bushes by the 3 forced to flee. Upon returning to get it later, the silly buggers were still waiting, but the people managed to get away. Our criminal bread is now back on site and being enjoyed by all….
The camp, in this time of police surveillance and harassment and all the rest of it, require a few things which could be very helpful….Lappersfort wishlist: people with legal knowledge and experience, especially immigration law
computer freak to help updating and renewing old and neglected website
most of all we need more people in the forest, to come by and stay as long as they want, to move in and to take part in the camp itself (all people coming over should be aware however of strong police presence around the forest)
please phone for anything…….(++32 741/65.85.44)

Rossport Solidarity Camp Summer Gathering May 29th-June 1st

The RSC June bank holiday gathering is back! From the 29th may till the 1st June we will be holding a gathering combining info sharing, direct action training, music and fun…

Last year resistance in Mayo was incredible; the Solitaire pipe laying ship was forced to leave Irish waters with no pipeline laid! This year resistance continues, and the ship will be forced to leave once again. Come to the gathering to find out more about the campaign, share skills and make plans for another summer of action….

Workshops confirmed include: history of the campaign, tour of the local area, drawing links with the Saro Wiwa vs. Shell trial in New York, direct action training for land and water based action, knowing your legal rights, facilitation training, health, safety and environmental impacts of the Corrib project, Corrib and climate change: Shell to Sea or Shell to hell? and permaculture. If you are interested in giving a workshop, want to play music, are interested in running a creche, want to help with the kitchen crew or think you can help in some other way, please get in touch to discuss your ideas.

The gathering will be a camp based on the coast in Glengad. You will need to bring camping equipment for sleeping (althought there is the RSC house available for anyone who is unable to camp). Meals will be provided.

For more information contact the RSC on rossportsolidaritycamp@gmail.com or 0851141170.

Shell security attack Willie Corduff after illegal Glengad compound dismantled

23.04.2009
Shell’s illegal Glengad compound was dismantled last night and Goldman winner, Willie Corduff was assaulted by masked Shell security during truck protest.

23.04.2009
Shell’s illegal Glengad compound was dismantled last night and Goldman winner, Willie Corduff was assaulted by masked Shell security during truck protest.
Yesterday Shell’s attempts to restart their works on the Corrib Gas project were ground to a halt after only eight hours. At 6-30 a workforce of about 20, backed up by around 50 private security guards erected fences to re-establish a compound. This compound is the would-be on-shore pipe installation base. Works were seriously hampered when local people and solidarity camp activists occupied machinery.

By 4 o clock Rossport Five member Willie Corduff was still refusing to leave the from under the truck, which he had occupied in the compound and all work had ground to a halt. Shell were unable to continue as Willie was preventing necessary equipment being used.

As the evening drew to a close Willie was resolute that he would stay and the community rallied around in support. Throughout the evening supporters gathered at the compound to show support for the campaign and Willie Corduff’s stand bringing blankets and hot water bottles.

As the crowd gathered tensions rose as Erris people saw first hand Shell’s attempt to devastate their community for a tenth year in a row. The fence beside the truck where Willie was positioned was removed and the activists made their way to Willie to ensure he was ok. Soon the entire southern exterior perimeter was dismantled. Shell’s initial works were almost undone.

At this point people returned to see Willie who was cold and still but all things considered was in good spirits. Erris activists had checked Shell’s attempts to restart work. People sat around talking and were in high spirits.

Protesters Attacked

Around 3am the vigil of supporters were gathered on the road and Willie was accompanied at the truck only by his brother- in-law. Willie had briefly gotten out from under the truck to stretch his legs. The two men were standing beside the truck when up to ten Shell security personnel in black and wearing balaclavas “appeared out of nowhere”. The men pushed Willie to the ground and started kicking him and hitting him with a heavy object that appeared to be a baton or torch. They knelt on his head and twisted his arms behind his back as they beat him. His brother-in-law attempted to aid Willie but was pushed back repeatedly and forcibly removed by the masked Shell security into an adjacent field where he was then knocked to the ground, kicked and beaten.

A Shell medic stayed with Willie for a period. Local people, who arrived on the scene shortly after the two men were assaulted, were so frightened of the Shell security personnel that they called the Gardaí who were patrolling the area. Willie was removed by an ambulance to Castlebar General Hospital, where he is being treated for nausea and severe bruising to the head and body. A Garda statement confirmed the identity of Willie and his brother-in-law’s attackers stating that “A protester [Willie] who was present on the site since yesterday was this morning removed from the compound by security staff.”

Works as we write appears to be suspended. Willie Corduff is in hospital, the area is on a knife-edge as a mixture of fear and anger brews.

People are urged to travel to Erris now to stand with Erris people to make a stand against Shell.

Lappersfort- Police out of control

Following the ambush & arrest of 3 lappersfort occupiers on the night of 21st April, the Brugge police yesterday conducted a raid on the house of a local sympathiser.

Following the ambush & arrest of 3 lappersfort occupiers on the night of 21st April, the Brugge police yesterday conducted a raid on the house of a local sympathiser. Atleast 6 pigs entered the home after showing a warrant, and took with them many personal items from the occupiers, including passports, other forms of ID and even personal letters and journals. The police are taking every opportunity to weaken local support through the media circus and also to gather identification of the occupiers. The belief is that they are gathering the id’s in order to be able to charge people with the costs of the eviction (after eviction in 2002, 13 occupier who had given their names were threatened with having to pay the eviction costs of 50,000euros if they are caught again in the forest) . We aren’t sure if this means the eviction is coming any sooner now, but the camp is under constant eviction threat. There is some speculation as to whether or not the police raid yesterday was done legally or not, and also whether or not they will take the next step of raiding the camp….

Meanwhile 3 of our friends are still sitting in prison in brugge and will face the judge tomorrow. They are accused of scraping some words in wet concrete, which the pigs have decided deserves the official charge of “destroying the road”. We are obviously hoping they will all be released tomorrow, but the courthouse here in Brugge has a reputation for locking up lappersforters for anything they possibly can. One local paper also reported that the security and dogs who ambushed and arrested the 3 on Tuesday night were requested by the mayor himself.

Life in the forest is getting sometimes difficult, and the pigs are obviously using their tactics of intimidation, fear and repression to demoralise the camp and cause division between the occupiers and the local community. But the camp and the campaign goes on, spring is happening, and more humans are always wished for and welcome….we wont let the piggies stop us, or even slow us down…

Shell return to Glengad in force

Protestors beaten by Gardai

22nd April 2009 UPDATE UPDATE
Today’s fencing (and gates?) in Glengad is right now being removed by the community.

Shell returned in force today to Glengad, arriving about 6.45, by about 7 protesters from the community and camp had started to gather.

Protestors beaten by Gardai

22nd April 2009 UPDATE UPDATE
Today’s fencing (and gates?) in Glengad is right now being removed by the community.

Shell returned in force today to Glengad, arriving about 6.45, by about 7 protesters from the community and camp had started to gather.

Willie Corduff, Goldman Environmental Award Winner and 2 others climbed under a truck carrying palisade fencing on the SAC. A camper climbed onto a telescopic loader, later changing to a 20t excavator/digger used for lifting the fencing panels.

Maura Harrington partially blocked the front entrance of the compound with her car, and throughout the day many folk jumped the fence and tried to stop the destruction of this pristine habitat.

Shell had dozens of security and dozens of workers, but were severely hampered in their activities by stiff local resistance. The occupation of truck and digger meant that they had only limited resources for their work, but in the late afternoon they had another digger and another truck load of fencing dropped to site.

The Gardai tried to talk the digger jumper and Wille & co out but to no avail, they simply kept stating that they wanted to see Shell’s permissions to be carrying out the work. When this failed they took a more direct approach with the men under the lorry. They managed to pull Willie’s boots off and stared twisting his toes, they threw stones at them and beat Willie on the ankle with a rock, while another lorry protestor had his had repeatedly banged off the ground by a thug masquerading as a Inspector. Willie was also scratched and stuck in the privates by Gardai.

As the hours ticked by the Gardai had Maura’s car towed by plant hire owner Carey. After 9hrs on the digger the camper was grabbed by security and forcibly pulled off, severely bruising his legs and arm. The other 2 people under the lorry spent approx 8hrs under it.

The weather turned nasty with gale force winds and driving rain, which made life difficult for protesters and workers alike.

This evening Willie remains under the lorry and the Gardai have left. Another man managed to get under the lorry with Willie this evening. There is a large security force still in Glengad, with a crowd forming of solemn protesters standing near Willie in the dark but the situation still seems potentially volatile. Rumour is that several fire brigade units are on their way to lift the lorry and remove him.

The local radio station, Midwest Radio, have been openly calling in their news for Shell to produce documentation to the effect that they have the necessary permissions to work in Glengad which they don’t seem to have.

Around noon or so the portaloos that Shell had dropped on the SAC blew over and all their chemicals poured out onto the SAC, no attempt was made to clean up the chemical spill and the portaloos were only stood up again about 7pm.

Today Shell eventually managed to put up large front gates and create the top compound section with a 2nd set of gates leading down into the SAC.

Despite telling 1 or 2 people they were arrested no arrests were made.

People are frustrated & angry but determined, they need all the help they can get, so now is the time to get to Erris if you can, for whatever support you can give.