Update on Mayo’s Resistance to Shell

mayo | environment | news report Wednesday July 26, 2006 23:01 by Terry - Rossport Solidarity Camp

Brief update on current Shell to Sea activism in Mayo.

Last week and this Mayo Shell to Sea activists have been carrying out an intensive canvass of the Erris region where Shell and the state plan to build their gas refinery.
People have gone door to door around the area, culminating in a canvass of the town of Belmullet this evening. This has been a good morale lift as the reactions from the proverbial doorsteps have been very positive. Two leaflets have been delivered in this campaign, the first on the environmental impacts of the refinery, and the other consisting of voices from fenceline communities, that is people who live next to the oil industry.

The picket continues at the shut down refinery site at Ballinaboy, almost into to its thirteenth month. Many passing inquisitive tourists get plied with tea and information, and the trailer that is the picket base now opens on Sundays to cover this publicity work.

This Saturday July 29th the long walk starts in Rossport, this is a cross-country trek to Dublin which will culminate on Saturday August 12th. The idea is to leaflet, hold public meetings, and just speak to people along the route. Something like the door to door p.r. campaign in Erris taken across the country. A hardcore of half a dozen intends to walk the entire route, with other folk joining in along the way for a bit.
Much training has already been undertaken for this. The horse box trailer positioned outside the shut down refinery construction site is being taken on the long walk, with a replacement generously donated to the picket.
More details of the Long Walk are here: http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=774

I covered recent and upcoming activity specific to the Rossport Solidarity Camp in an earlier article which is here: http://indymedia.ie/article/77337