Rossport Solidarity Camp
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Rossport Solidarity Camp (Irish: An Campa Dlúthchomhar) was established in the middle of June 2005, at the request of residents of Rossport, in north-west Mayo, Ireland, opposing the construction of a high pressure raw gas pipeline and inland refinery plant in their area. It was born out of a solidarity gathering held in Rossport on the first weekend in June that year.
[edit] History
After the jailing of the Rossport Five (James Brendan Philbin, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff and Micheál Ó Seighin) it was feared that Shell would attempt to lay the pipeline to the Corrib Gas Field on their lands in their absence. Campers and residents began to picket the Shell compound site in Rossport. During this time campers moved out of the house in which they had been staying and began to set up a camp. In a short space of time, and in a fairly ad-hoc, spontaneous and improvised manner, the camp was assembled. Cooking equipment and experience came from the Bitchin’ Kitchen Collective, a marquee was donated by Dissent! (one of the groups organising the G8 protests in Scotland), some tents were borrowed from here and there, some bodies came from NUI Galway Ecology Society, some from environmentalist group Gluaiseacht. All this was put together early in July, on Philip McGrath’s small farm and right on the supposed pipeline route. A further camp, or more of an off-host from the main camp, was set up on the other side of the estuary from Rossport, in Glengad, where the landfall for the pipeline was intended to be.
From the end of June 2005 the main activity of the camp was picketing the construction compound in Rossport in conjunction with Rossport residents. This was done from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, with two people on three-hour shifts keeping watch. For two months there was also a constant Garda presence at the compound sites. In early July, Shell, unable to continue work due to the constant pickets, announced a suspension of work on the pretext of calling for a "period of calm".
[edit] Solidarity Week & the Grassroots Gathering, August 2005
At the end of August Rossport Solidarity Camp organised a solidarity week culminating in the Tenth Grassroots Gathering. A lot of people from England travelled over to join the camp at this time. The solidarity week featured a social night for campers and residents, workshops, a Rossport Five street theatre in Castlebar, and a blockade of a Statoil (the junior partner in the Corrib project) depot in Ballina.
At the Tenth Grassroots Gathering there were speakers from, or speaking about, Derrybrien Development Society, the Woodland League, Galway for a Safe Environment, Gorleben anti-nuclear protest camp, anti-pylon groups from Roscommon and Donegal and veterans of the campaign against Merrill Dow in Cork in the late 1980s. There were also skills share workshops. Over one hundred people attended the Gathering that weekend, with Rossport Solidarity Camp briefly blossoming into three camps on the pipeline route.
[edit] Winter; preparing for Rossport Solidarity Camp ‘06
The camp disbanded at the end of the construction season in October both because Shell had ceased work and because conditions on the campsite became too wet as autumn advanced. People involved in the camp did not want to leave the area and so a house was rented not far from Rossport where an office with Internet and phone access was set up. Throughout the winter months preparations were made for the coming summer’s camp which was to be bigger than the previous summer's.
Camp participants spoke at meetings around Ireland and 'building the camp' meetings in Dublin and Galway were held to get more people involved. Two participants in the camp went on speaking tour of England before Christmas, speaking at social centres and various other venues in London, Brighton, Nottingham, Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Lancaster, and Oxford. A further speaking tour of Scotland and England happened in February and talks were given in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as visiting several protest camps; Faslane near Glasgow, Bilston near Edinburgh, Nine Ladies near Sheffield and Camp Bling in Southend-on-Sea. In January a camper attended the World Social Forum in Venezuela on behalf of the Shell to Sea campaign.
As well as promoting the camp through talks and meetings decisions as to how to run the camp in regard to issues such as the approach to the media, decision making structures, dealing with sexual harassment etc. were discussed. A skill share weekend was held at Halloween with workshops on permaculture, alternative energy, campaign tactics, media and "safer spaces" (dealing with issues of sexual harassment within activist circles).
On the 17th and 18th of February actions of solidarity were held across Ireland and Britain as well as in Holland and Sweden aimed at highlighting the reopening of the camp and marking the beginning of a new season of resistance against Shell and the Fianna Fáil-led Irish government.
[edit] February 2006; The Camp Reopens
Rossport Solidarity Camp re-opened on the 25th of February 2006. Whereas in 2005 the camp was located on the route of the pipeline in Rossport, it was decided that this year’s camp would be located on the landfall of the pipeline, on the beach at Glengad. On the weekend of the 25th over thirty Shell to Sea supporters from across the country assisted campers and Rossport residents in the construction of the camp. A marquee and several benders (structures made from bent hazel poles) were constructed that weekend and in the subsequent weeks more benders, compost toilets, food composting facilities, a grey water system, pathways, and a kitchen were built.
[edit] The June Gathering 2006
On the June Bank Holiday weekend 2006 Rossport Solidarity Camp celebrated 1 years involvement in the Shell to Sea campaign. A gathering was held on the camp with talks, workshops, a tour of the area, movies, music and planning. The weekend included a "privatisation forum" focusing on the privatisation of natural resources with Jose Sagarnaga from the London based Bolivia Solidarity Campaign and Maura Harrington from the Shell to Sea campaign examining issues of ownership and control of Irish natural resources. The weekend also featured a report back from the Global Women's Strikeon how women in Venezuela are organising for the return of the oil wealth.
[edit] The August Gathering 2006
[edit] International Links
 SDCEA visitors on the camp |
 Jose from Bolivia Solidarity campaign |
 LASC tour |
 Nigerian visitors |
Iceland In March 2006 Oli and Arne from the Saving Iceland campaign, where the government has embarked on a plan to dam the island’s glacial rivers to provide power for a series of aluminium smelters, came top visit Erris. They showed a film and gave a talk in the local hall looking at the similarities in the campaigns.
South Africa In May 2006 Des D’Sa from South Durban Community and Environmental Alliance [1] (SDCEA)]and Siziwe Khanyile from Groundwork came to visit en route to the Shell AGM in Holland. They showed a film in the local hall and spoke about their campaign against Shell's pollution of their neighbourhood.
Bolivia and Ecuador As part of Latin American solidarity week 2006, LASC (Latin American Solidarity Centre Ireland) brought two activists, Ricardo an organiser with Accion Ecologica from Ecuador and Tania from Bolivia, to speak about the organising they are involved in with specific reference to natural resources. Tania spoke about the social movements in Bolivia and the “water wars” against privatisation of the country’s water. Roberto spoke about the politics of resources in Latin America, making particular reference to the struggle of indigenous communities in the Amazon region of Ecuador against oil companies such as Texaco.
Nigeria The community in Erris has made links with people in Nigeria living with Shell, calling themselves ‘the Bogoni’ in reference to the Ogoni people whose campaign against the multinational attained worldwide publicity with the execution of its leader Ken Saro Wiwa in 1995. On Saro-Wiwa’s 10 year anniversary, on the 10th of November 2005, an “African monster party” was held in Glenamoy, near Rossport and a mural of Saro Wiwa by local artist John Monaghan was unveiled. Members of Ireland's Nigerian community were invited to Erris to share in remembering Saro Wiwa and people worldwide struggling against companies like Shell. Nine crosses were unveiled outside the gates of the proposed refinery site bearing the names of the ‘Ogoni eight’ and Ken Saro Wiwa.
[edit] Shell Recommence work at Bellanaboy
The picket was maintained at Shell's proposed refinery site at Bellanaboy, where the trailer (Shell to Sea HQ) was parked. Throughout the summer months visitors came to the area to talk to residents and see for themselves what was happening on the ground. In September Shell announced their intention to recommence work at Bellanaboy. They were stoppedby residents and campaigners who stood in front of the site gates.
After having been unable to work at any of their sites since June 2005 due to community pickets, Shell announced their intention to recommence work in September. Shell attempted to bring diggers onto the site on several occasions (September 16th) but were stopped by residents who stood in front of the site gates blocking access to the site.
On Tuesday the 26th of September over one hundred Erris Shell to Sea campaigners blocked a convoy of Shell vehicles accessing the site by again standing in front of the site gates. Shell were accompanied by members of the Gardaí, who ordered the protesters to move. They ignored Garda orders and when again ordered to move some of the campaigners began to recite the rosary. When it became apparent that the protesters would not move the Shell vehicles turned away.
[edit] The 3 October 2006
Having failed to gain access to their site in September as planned Shell were assisted in recommencing work in early October by the State. Early on the morning of 3rd October almost 200 police were drafted into the area from all over the state. They erected road blocks and crowd control barriers around Shell's work site. Residents engaged in a sit-down blockade in front of the site gates. They were dragged away by Gardaí and Shell's vehicles entered the site.
In the days following October 3rd attempts were made to blockade Shell’s work vehicles and to prevent them from accessing their proposed refinery site at Bellanaboy. Protesters gathered near the refinery each morning sometimes blocking Shell's vehicles by standing or sitting in front of them, sometimes just marching with placards and banners.
Reports on the mornings actions were posted on Irish Indymedia for Thursday 5th October, Monday 9th October,Wednesday 11th October, Thursday 12th October, Friday 13th October, Monday 16th October, Wednesday 18th October.
[edit] National Days of Action
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First Day of Action 20th October A ‘National Day of Action’ was called on 20th October. Campaigners working in the National Shell to Sea network and supporters travelled to Erris with the aim of stopping Shell from gaining access to the site.
Second Day of Action 10th November A second day of Action was called for the 10th of November 2006, the anniversary of Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni 8. Approximately 250 Shell to Sea activists and supporters from around Ireland travelled to Erris to participate in a blockade of Shell’s work convoy of workers and materials. Gardaí responded to the blockades with brutality and heavy-handedness. Campaigners were baton charged off the road leading to the refinery site to allow Shell’s vehicles enter the site. Several protesters sustained injuries including broken bones. Three protesters were hospitalised as a result of injuries sustained.
Day of Support 16th February 2006 A third national mobilisation was held at Bellanaboy on the 16th of February 2007. Approximately 3-400 Shell to Sea organisers and supporters from around Ireland and Britain gathered to demonstrate. The day had two parts beginning with a march beginning almost two miles from the site to the refinery gates. The march began at the Rossport side, purposely avoiding construction traffic. The march had a carnival atmosphere with an improvised samba band, clowns and a sound system in a wheelbarrow.
After the main march approximately one hundred people proceeded down a side road and gained access to the refinery site staging a peaceful occupation and effectively shutting down the site for several hours.
[edit] Eviction
In July 2007, the camp was served with a notice to evict by Mayo County Council, which cited the unauthorised nature of the structures erected and the potential damage to a candidate Special Area of Conservation. The second reason was seen as grossly hypocritical by campers and local people alike, given the council's approval of Shell's plans to dig up the dunes for pipe-laying. Local people immediately offered the campers different places to stay (as well as raising funds to fight the eviction in court), and most are now resident in a house overlooking both the original camp and the Bellinaboy site. In September 2007, the court ordered the campers to remove the camp entirely by January.
[edit] References
- Rossport Solidarity Week in Pictures
- Grassroots Gathering
- ‘building the camp’
- speaking tour of Scotland and England
- re-opened
- June Bank Holiday weekend 2006
- speaking tour of England
- Jose Sagarnaga
- visit Erris
- “African monster party”
[edit] External links
- Solidarity Camp website
- Shell to sea campaign
- Indymedia Ireland
- 15 Myths and Realities of Corrib Gas
