Shell protest in Cork

by An Gobán Saor Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:31

Douglas Shell has a quiet morning
Up to 20 members of the Cork Shell to Sea campaign this morning blockaded one of Cork's businest Shell service stations at Douglas Village for more than 2 hours this morning.
Protesters began arriving before 7.30am and soon had both entrances to the Shell station blocked. Shell is in the centre of Douglas "village" at the heart of one of Cork's largest and most affluent suburbs. Thousands of motorists passed by, some honking their car horns, but only a handful attempted to enter the station.

One motorists in a silver 4x4 (04-C-12112) drove right up to the protesters feet until, realising he was going no further, he abandoned his car with its tail half way onto the busy public road, saying he had only come to pay a bill.

A few minutes later another large car (05-C-17819) came up and after initial hesitation he drove right at the protesters who stood their ground. At least three protesters were carried into the service station on the bonnet of his car. Mr. Road Rage showered us with abuse and announced he was going to call the guards. He filled his car with the filthy Shell fuel and went in to pay for it. Returning to his car he picked up his mobile phone - inside the petrol station ! - and called the Garda Shelldana who arrived minutes later with two patrol cars. An unmarked car pulled in across the street.

The gardai insisted the Shell to Sea protesters keep their picket moving and did not stop cars entering or leaving but it made no difference. For the whole period less than a dozen vehicles entered the station.

Mr. Road Rage then left, irate that the gardai took no action against the protesters whom he no doubt wanted locked up and the key thrown away. Get yourself a life Mr. Road Rage.

by An Gobán Saor Fri Oct 13, 2006 13:30

This morning the above "gentleman" drove directly at and through Cork Shell to Sea protesters at the Shell service station in Douglas. With no regard for people's safety he put his foot to the floor and drove through the group with two or three people left hanging on his bonnet.

Mr. Road Rage

Garda Shelldána arrive

Another picket passer

Another early start

by pockets23 Fri Oct 13, 2006 13:36

Hate to be a killjoy here but by stopping the general public from filling up on the way to work aren't we just pissing off the people who could support us? We could be just as visible standing at the entrance letting cars in and giving flyers out to those who come in and motorists stopped in traffic. For the campaign to work we need the people behind us.

by Joe Fri Oct 13, 2006 14:14

Interview with WSM member who took part in a blockade of the Shell petrol station in Cork this morning in connection with the Rossport struggle . 2 mins, around 760k mp3. Quality is poor in parts as it was made by mobile on a train. Interviewee describes blocking the station, reaction of police (Garda) and public and laws used to undermine such action

Interview is at

by Spike - None but my own head! Fri Oct 13, 2006 14:14

I'm sorry but I have to agree with the last poster regarding the blockade of the Shell Station.

It is all very well to make your point (as I am sure you can by not bullying anyone) but to block someone from doing a normal everyday thing like going to a particular shop is very wrong. To then publish someones picture and car reg is equally wrong and someone at the picket should have known better.

If someone wants to go past you...let them off. Their conscience may get the better of them later, and if not well that's they're lookout. Are we in the business of bullying people to follow what we believe?

I agree that what Shell are doing in Mayo is wrong. What was done in Cork this morning was as bad in my opinion in that it picked on members of the public and tried to demonise those who would not be bullied.

I don't suppose anyone would care to explain what happened to any pedestrians or workers going into the shop this morning. Were they blocked too, and if they resisted will you be showing photos?

Please reconsider your excessive actions. Your cause is right, but your attitude to those you are trying to galvanise is wrong.

by Tadhg Fri Oct 13, 2006 14:17

It looks like people were able to pass the pickets if they wanted to and fill up their cars with Shell petrol, so it seems to me that the protest was peaceful and within guidelines for this sort of stuff.

Obviously tempers are becoming frayed as this goes on - so perhaps when picketing/blockading folks should bear in mind that we already have the support of the majority of people, and those who don't support us now won't be swayed by aggression.

It's much more effective to give them a leaflet and look hurt, than to meet their anger with our own.

by Joe interviewing John Fri Oct 13, 2006 15:23

Talks of the pickets at the police stations, airport depot and urban filling stations, how people on the street are reacting, why they decided to step up the actions and why he as one of those dreaded 'people with English accents' is involved in the struggle.

5 minutes

http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/corksos.mp3

by Simon Fri Oct 13, 2006 22:41

I don't know if it makes a difference but Shell the giant global oil corporation no longer own the petrol stations in Ireland. They sold all their downstream assets last year to concentrate on exploration and production. Topaz an Irish company now operates and profits from all Shell service stations on this Island. I presume they kept the Shell logo for its brand worth.

by Joe Black Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:57

Simon your right that Shell sold the stations before returning to Rossport but the stations are franchises which means the owners have to buy the petrol they sell from Shell. So loss of sales at those stations does hit Shell and presumably also means franchise owners making angy calls to them.

by Topaz Sat Oct 14, 2006 11:05

The competitions authority, last week approved a formal union between Statoil and Topaz.

As to the owners, they should be sourcing their oil in an intelligent manner.

The unions who push the workers through the blockades are another matter.

Which unions are represented in Bellanboy?

by Christopher Jones - Shell Tonypandy 332 Mon Oct 16, 2006 16:49 rhondda cf40 1en 07778557824

I think these protesters should grow up and get a life and stop trying to distroying the lively hoods of the shell retailers, becaues when they block our forecourts we dont have any trade and they dont realize that shell dont give a shit becaues they dont own the shell service station all shell do is supply us retailers with fuel for NORMAL people who dont mind paying the going rate.

i have had this on my forecourt before and i sorted it out very quickly by turning the fire hoses on and me and my staff directed the hoses at the protesters and we now have a law suit against them and i am in the middel of sueing them for loss of earnings and damage to our forecourt and the front of the shop.

if they won't to protest them they should go and do it out side shell HQ not on the independant retailers forecourt they are just loseing us money NOT SHELL!!!

many thanks,
C L Jones
shell franchisee of 8 petrol stations

by fire hose Mon Oct 16, 2006 17:12

Dear Mr.Angry,

If you have nothing to do with Shell, why do you have a large Shell sign on your forecourt?

The purpose of the protests is to damage the Shell brand by reminding people of the company's dreadful record on human rights and environmental damage.

Do you believe that peaceful protest is somehow not legitimate? What will you do if the protesters don't stop after you've hosed them down with water?

by christopher jones - shell franchisee - shell tonypandy 332 Thu Oct 26, 2006 14:05 07778557824

dear Mr. cocky,

just to let you know that i have bourght anither 4 SHELL petrol stations since speaking to you last
swansea bay - swansea
sketty - swansea
crickhowell - powys
cribbs causeway - bristol

the giant brand SHELL are way bigger that you littel protesters so i know now who will win this debate and everyone needs fuel.

i will have any thing on my forecourt includeing a 20ft pole sign with a huge Shell logo on it because its my forecourt and noone will stop me - whats on my forecourt has nothing to do with you ok

IF you fancey yourself as a big shout protester come and try it on my shell sites especilay tonypandy - rhondda and you'll see what i will do if the hases dont work!!!!!

by Paul O'Donnell Fri Oct 27, 2006 14:40

On last night's "Today in the Oireachtas" on RTE 1 television a clip was shown from a session of the Public Accounts Committee. The Director of the Competition Authority was cross examined and admitted that a mistake had been made in his office in that they cleared Topaz's acquisition of Statoil without proper scrutiny. He blamed human error in his office. So the poster who says the Competition Authority was happy doesn't know what he/she is talking about. The big question is was it a genuine mistake or something more sinister? Either way it also raises questions over the Competition Authority's competency and its clearance of the Shell acquisition.

by Tadhg Fri Oct 27, 2006 15:37

The competition authority say they didn't meet their deadline because they forgot that September only has thirty days in it.

It's things like this which make you worry about people (like the man who wrote into the Irish Times today) who say they trust Shell and the Authorities regarding the safety of the refinery/pipeline.

by Tadhg Fri Oct 27, 2006 16:00

Dear Mr. Jones,

You say " IF you fancey yourself as a big shout protester come and try it on my shell sites especilay tonypandy - rhondda and you'll see what i will do if the hases dont work!!!!!"

What exactly are you threatening? Are you saying that you will cause physical harm to me or other people who wish to stage peaceful protests against Shell's appalling record on human rights and environmental damage?

If you don't want to be explicit here I suggest you send details of your spiteful plans to dublinshelltosea@gmail.com

Tadhg

by cool j Sat Oct 28, 2006 04:22

Your threats are laughable - We have faced physical assualt and intimidation from state thugs for the last couple of weeks and we still stand firm here because our future health and safety and that of our families depend's on it. A toe-rag like you is small beer indeed!!