Corporate cops punch female student (video)

by JimmyB Sat Nov 11, 2006 22:52

According to RTE , speaking at a Trade Union conference in Dundalk

"Enda Kenny, has called on protestors at Bellanaboy to disassociate themselves from what he described as 'aggressive influences from outside'. "

Perhaps Enda is referring to the specialised 'ThugForce' Gardai deployed from throughout the country to abuse and assault a peaceful local community which is should be representing and protecting.

Sadly, there doesn't appear to have been anyone in the trade union movement too worries. Perhaps they're getting the nests ready for partnership. The spirit of Connolly and Larkin certainly is in Mayo. Perhaps the unions will awaken to this?

by Reporter Sat Nov 11, 2006 22:54

Pics

by Reporter Sat Nov 11, 2006 22:56

pics

by Rep Sat Nov 11, 2006 22:58

pics

by Sarah - S2S Sat Nov 11, 2006 23:10

Saturday 11th November 06

Yesterday, the 10th of November, I was present in Ballinaboy for the national day of protest at the government facilitated Corrib Gas project and remembrance for Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni nine.

The day was a sharp reminder of why it is imperative that we protect and sustain democracy. Many of the media reports have made reference to protesters breaking the law and said the police must enforce the law - we do not have capital punishment in Irish law.

Punishment is meted out through our legal system - if protesters were breaking the law in sufficient numbers to justify police baton charges and the other much worse instances of assaults on individuals I witnessed why we not all arrested?

I was the recipient of physical and verbal abuse from a senior garda who made no attempts to arrest or charge me with any offence. It seemed that he preferred to use bullying and violence rather than the law, which he had the right to use.

In this context the above piece of camcorder footage is very sinister- a student from Galway recorded and witnessed this incident.

It is a very short piece but it shows one garda holding a young woman by the arm on the side of the road from Bangor Erris to Ballinaboy.

The girl is trying to shake her arm loose from behind a parked car. Another older garda approaches and he punches the girl quickly in the stomach and she falls to the ground and both Gardai walk away. Apart from the obvious violence of this incident the following questions occur to me;

- Why was the first garda trying to hold the girl?

- Was he attempting to arrest her? If so why did the second garda officer hit the girl and walk off instead of helping the first?

- Is there anything which could justify this behaviour? No charges were made no process of law was followed. Why is it any different from common assault?

I encourage anyone with similar recordings to publish them send them to your politicians, post them here and send them to the television stations and lets show who broke the law and perpetrated violence in North Mayo on Friday.

by sanity Sat Nov 11, 2006 23:14

Contrary to the over-excited claims made in the heading to this piece, there is no picture showing any member of the Gardai striking this woman.

The photos certainly show this woman confronting the Guards. Subsequent photos show her 'playing up'. But then, there was a lot of playing-up for the cameras yesterday by people claiming to have been assaulted by the Gardai.

Fortunately, we have all had a good opportunity to see the video-fotage of who initiated and provoked the violent events of yesterday - not just a few selected shots by people whose inclination, long before yesterday, is to attack and undermine the Guards.

by Dr. J O'Rourke Sat Nov 11, 2006 23:24

I was there yesterday as I am a native of the area and feel strongly the many issues involved.

The protesters were not there to be agressive or abusive. They were there to uphold their rights, to highlight the issues and to show their opposition to this flawed project.

The protesters ranged from young students to local farmers to Dublin based accountants. They were as diverse as the issues involved and generally I found them to be respectful, polite, informed and committed to non-violence. All had gone to considerable effort to be there and many are suffering hardship (health and financial) as a result of their opposition.

Our Gardai on the other hand were completely out of control. They were itching for action and resorted to outrageous bully boy tactics that were completely illegal and un called for.

I witnessed them verbally and physically abusing several people and once I figure out how to post imagery here I will be publishing a series of photos to this demonstrate this point.

I will also be visiting my local representatives in the coming days as well as highlighting the issue with the new Garda inspectorate.

by Emma O'Connor Sun Nov 12, 2006 00:46

It is becoming obvious that at a number of locations on Friday morning, the policing of events was marked by incidents where individuals involved in peaceful protests were assaulted by members of the Gardaí.

It is imperative that all such assaults are brought to the attention of the Garda Síochána Complaints Board (see link below) before somebody is more severely injured.

At the Lennon's Quarry protest, I and up to 20 others witnessed a protestor being assaulted by three individuals in full view of several gardaí. They did nothing, refused to detain the three involved in the assualt and permitted them leave the area.

They refused the victim medical assistance and with some reluctance gave their names. The senior officer at the scene threatened the victim by saying, and I quote, 'I'll fucking kick your head in next' and denied knowing the identity of the chief assailant, despite the fact that both men are neighbours.

In a later incident, 20 protestors were illegally detained in a field after being thrown down an embankment through a barbed wire fence. One attempted to escape but was severely beaten by three Gardaí along the main Bangor-Belmullet road before being dragged down the side road by the neck and thrown back into the field. A garda sergeant wiped the victim's blood from his hand on the back of the victim's jacket before he, the victim, was thrown back into the field. He was hospitalised.

Two people have since come forward who witnessed this assualt from behind the ditch. Three gardaí took apart (including the sergeant) and as cars approached the latter was heard to say 'Hold on lads, civilians'. He, on several occasions, told his colleagues to administer 'more pain, lads, more pain'.

The gardaí were asked why the protestors were being detained, as there had been no proper legal announcement of the Public Order Act. The sergeant in charge refused to speak to a delegation from those detained, too busy, I kid you not, stuffing his face with a breakfast roll.

The gardaí present were obviously ignorant of why the protestors were detained and were unable to cite the apposite legislation. A few were obviously embarassed but most were bullish, one boasting of the amount of illegitimate children he'd shired around the country. I hesitate to write the words pig ignorant.

Please, if you witnessed similar incidents, or even the ones described above, write a factual report to the GSCB.

by Samsonite Sun Nov 12, 2006 01:09

4 Civilians and 4 Gardai were injured yesterday. Seems both groups were in the wrong

by Kato Sun Nov 12, 2006 01:23

It is absolutely essential that all assaults by the Gardai are put in writing to the complaints Board. Make sure a hard copy is kept in a secure place. Follow it up by writing with a copy of the complaint to your TD/councillor he or she must act on this information. I think my advice would be if you feel the wheels of 'justice' to be punctured go to an MEP. But keep hassling for a response.

In answer to Samsonite have a look at the video cam that was put on the web of the young female student being assaulted by a male guard today. I saw a similar incident myself in Rossport a couple of weeks ago. We were doing nothing. Just talking. A female guard grabbed a hold of the young woman i was talking for no reason and pulled and tugged on her sleeve and like a fishwife roared at her 'keep moving'. I told the guard very quietly that all we were doing was talking. She let go of the girls arm. We were lucky. the guard was on her own at the time. We walked away. Please do not be so naive as to think that the people on these protests are hardened criminals and thugs. Unfortunately the latter can do what they like when they like and to whom they like in Ireland so long as they do not pollute the rarified spheres in which our politicians live.

by Ray Sun Nov 12, 2006 12:47

Members of the Sligo branch of the Shell to Sea Campaign have described the actions of some of the Gardai in Bellanaboy in County Mayo this morning as very aggressive, with many of them drawing batons to clear the protest taking place.

The Sligo members were part of the protest of a couple of hundred people as part of the Day of Action of the Shell to Sea group, who are opposed to the construction of a gas terminal in the area.

A confrontation ensued at the protest when Gardai blocked the route to the terminal site - one man was hospitalised with back and neck injuries.

Sligo Labour councillor, Declan Bree, who was among those at the protest, says the situation all morning was very tense.

And he's condemned as outrageous comments from the Minister for Justice that the protest was politically motivated.

by supporter Sun Nov 12, 2006 12:56

On the 10/11/06 myself and my boyfriend left Galway at 4am .When we got to Ross port it was dark and a large number of Gardai had gathered along with protestors. I am a non violent peaceful person. I had attended peaceful protests at this site before.
I would like to state contrary to the medias coverage I am not involved with sinn fein and the idea of so many numbers of people being bussed in from outside is another myth. The larger part of the crowd I saw were locals and only a very small percentage were from outside.
Standing behind the Garda line we could hear screams echoing across the bog myself and my boyfriend decided to grab the video camera and head in that direction hoping to film the attack. We found ourselves on the other side of the first Garda line along with many other protestors. I witnessed Guards throwing people into ditches and stamping on their hands when they tried to climb out .Police were brutalizing pushing and elbowing, kneeing people in the legs and other parts of their bodies. I was shocked at the violence I saw from the gardai . The violence I witnessed was from gardai and not from the protestors.
Then there was silence, a Garda took out a camera and told us to all gather together for a photograph. After the picture was taken all I saw was a Garda coming towards me with a baton. I put my hands up in the air to show I was of no threat and peaceful. I was beaten to the ground by the garda.
I was in terrible shock and panicked as I suffer from a bad heart the garda then dragged me for 50 meters .I was screaming to put me down .They flung me into the side of the road while being called a filthy little animal.
Coming home black and blue I turned on the news and I heard a reporter say that the gardai gave the protestors warnings to move .I never heard any warning.
I went to mayo as a peaceful protestor concerned about many things
1. The safety of people in their own homes being put at risk
2. Mayo’s environment
3. The give away by of our gas (which we will have to pay top pries to use)

I had 3 issues of protest when I went to Rosspot but I came away with 4 .
4.The beating of peaceful protestors.
I am upset at the media and ashamed of the politicians who turn a blind eye to what’s really going on in mayo .The way they justify hiding on this issue by demonizing innocent people is claiming they are Provo thugs.
I have lodged my complaint to my local garda station yesterday. I am pleased to say the bean Garda at the station didn’t beat me when I made my peaceful complaint.
She treated me with respect and she genuinely took my statement.
I went to Ross port to assume my right as an Irish citizen and other to attend a peaceful protest.
I am today pleading with you to get involved with this terrible situation in Ross port and try to help this whole mess to be put right. It is not a problem that is just going away by itself we need all sides to come on board political leaders ,people of rossport and shell need to all come together and find a middle ground solution. I myself fear that someone will be seriously hurt or even killed if this keeps up. People should not wait for a tragedy to happen in rossport there has to be a way to solve this whole mess.

by an faolchu uasal Sun Nov 12, 2006 13:58

They are not "your" Gardai. And they are fully under control - of the multinational corporations under whose thumb the hired lackeys in Leinster House operate. Wake up to the reality of Modern Ireland before it's too late. These blue-uniformed thugs are the twenty-first century equivalent of the R.I.C and Black and Tans terrorising the peasantry. The only difference being that they do not serve the interests of the House of Windsor-Saxe-Coburg-Gotha but rather those of Royal Dutch Shell.

Anyone who really believes that the Gardai are being deployed to protect the interests of the Irish people needs to take a reality check. They're only there to ensure that dodgy contracts signed by the former convict Ray Burke and his ilk are enforced for the benefit of a multinational corporation at the behest of the spineless lackies in Leinster House.

by Aladdin Sane Sun Nov 12, 2006 14:50

"Contrary to the over-excited claims made in the heading to this piece, there is no picture showing any member of the Gardai striking this woman"

Your contributions are becoming more and more hilarious every time, lunatic. When the evidence is there in full colour, trying to deny it is laughable. Don't think you can order us to ignore the evidence of our own eyes because it doesn't conform with your bigoted views.

by sane Sun Nov 12, 2006 18:54

Dear A S

No one need order you to ignore anything. You have decided to ignore the evidence of the video footage (from several sources) all on your very own - and, if you were actually there (which I doubt), the evidence of your own eyes.

The fact, evidenced by the footage (and press reporters from several media) is that the violence WAS started by protestors who tried to attack and block the peaceable Shell workers going about their lawful business - and then tried to use a car as a battering-ram against the Gardai before using missiles against the Guards.

You can write what you like to your Trot pals, but the ordinary people of Ireland have now seen the 'form' of at least some of these protestors. Too late for you to repair the damage. The horse has bolted. You have been found out. Exposed. Rumbled!

Tough!

The S2S died on Friday - yet another victim of Trot infiltration.

by spacecraft Sun Nov 12, 2006 19:14

"Trot infiltration" say some. "Provos" say others. "Eco Warriors" say more.

Sure the plain people of Mayo must be guilty of something? The Rossport Five were there on Friday morning, are they all trots and provos and eco-warriors too?

by Aladdin Sane Sun Nov 12, 2006 19:32

You're beginning to froth at the mouth, lunatic! I can hear your voice getting more and more shrill and hysterical every time you write an exclamation mark! You sound like a 12 year old child who wails and stamps his feet when people won't listen to his demands. It's always comical to watch someone desperately trying to make their desires into a reality by shouting very loud and ordering people to ignore the evidence. If you're the best friend Shell has, god help them. Or should I say, God help them!!!!!!!

by myself (not trot nor shinner nor eco-warrior) - none Sun Nov 12, 2006 19:46

Anyone who was there knows ecactly where the violence started. I walked along the road, the workers cars were coming towards the refinery. I walked onto the road. Was I being violent? No!
I was grabbed by a guard and thrown onto the ground then picked up and thrown again head-first into a deep ditch. My head hit a rock and my vision blurred. I am covered in bruises. It took a few minutes for me to be able to get up and as I reached the top another guard tried to throw me back down.
The very first encounter with them involved being thrown onto the groud with a violence I have rarely felt before. I was not asked to move from the road, not gently pushed, not walked off, no words were exchanged. They came there that morning under instruction to use violence and they did.

by VideoLady Sun Nov 12, 2006 20:30

We have a better quality version of this video that clearly shows the punch taking place as well as the 2 faces of the Gardai. We also have supporting witnesses and photographs, which we hope to post more info about asap. Legal advice is being sought tomorrow and the girl in question is receiving medical attention.

Meanwhile, 2 other people remain in hospital in Co. Mayo.

by Admin Sun Nov 12, 2006 20:33

This video is now on YouTube for the world to see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgVCwX5zXcg

Pass the link on to friends and colleagues.

Other videos

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=shell+gas+mayo&...earch

by Wolfe Tone Sun Nov 12, 2006 23:57

As a Bantry person, my heart goes out to the people of Rossport. We have experienced at first hand dealings with a big oil company (Gulf Oil) and the Irish Government. Gulf Oil which owned a large oil storage depot in Whiddy Island, Bantry, it was capable of docking the largest oil tankers in the world. The management of Gulf Oil had always reassured the workers and community that in the event of an accident or fire, they had all the necessary preventative and control measures in place, that was not the case.

Fifty men lost their lives, 16 of which their bodies weren’t recovered, that night in Jan 1979 in the Whiddy disaster. There were a lot of cutbacks in the maintenance of fire fighting equipment. Also, the crew members on tugs which had large fire fighting equipment would not be paid on stand-by while tankers were loading or discharging instead they went back to Bantry pier. Bantry pier being 45 minutes away from the tankers, in my opinion this was a failure by the Irish Government to allow this company to operate this way.

It may have been the cheapest and most economic way for this large oil company to operate but it destroyed families and gave horrific memories for a lifetime.

Gulf Oil made millions in profits while operating in Bantry and never had to pay any Harbour dues to the Irish Government and after the disaster they moved out leaving the partially burned jetty without repairing or removing, standing out in the middle of Bantry Bay – no questions asked from any member of Government!!

The people of Mayo are in a difficult position because the Government has little knowledge in the oil or gas industry and they are supporting Shell to bulldoze through this small community that obviously have serious safety concerns. From my experience, it would be foolish to depend on the big oil companies or the Irish Government to safeguard the community against any possible disasters.

The policies and safety measures were in place in 1979 but the Government failed to ensure that these policies were adhered to by the oil companies. These big companies rule the Government and the government follow whether right or wrong.

I’m writing this in disbelief of the way the Garda force have and are treating the Irish people in Rossport, the abuse to the particular lady in the video footage would not be tolerated in any part of the world under any circumstances.

In my opinion, there could be lives lost if Shell and the Garda continue to operate in this way.

by Niall - Shell to Sea Mon Nov 13, 2006 16:49

Why did the cop move out of sight around the other side of the vehicle instead of straight after the girl along the verge in plain sight.

What was he doing/planning/arranging on the other side of the van before re-approaching the girl?

What was he stuffing back into his pocket after he assaulted her?

Does he know that he has been identified? Does he know that he WILL be brought to justice?

Legal support available to everyone here: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/79633

by Dr Nick Tue Nov 14, 2006 15:30

'Contrary to the over-excited claims made in the heading to this piece, there is no picture showing any member of the Gardai striking this woman.
The photos certainly show this woman confronting the Guards. Subsequent photos show her 'playing up'. But then, there was a lot of playing-up for the cameras yesterday by people claiming to have been assaulted by the Gardai.
Fortunately, we have all had a good opportunity to see the video-fotage of who initiated and provoked the violent events of yesterday - not just a few selected shots by people whose inclination, long before yesterday, is to attack and undermine the Guards'

Count agree more with you 'no sanity'.The video clearly show the girl instigating her confrontation with the gardai and its the worst bit of hurt acting Ive seen in my life.Do the shell to sea protestors not see that they are really alienating us citizens of Ireland with this sort of coverage of the event,.It seem to me that most protestors and shell to sea supporters are more intrested in the gardai getting their comeuppance then with the actual shell to sea campaign.

How does this videos footage help the shell to sea campaign?All it does is try and draw negativity at the gardai! I really hope campaigners realise that these violent clashes at bellinaboy each week are really damaging their campaign in the eye of the Irish people. People dont view them as a protest but just regular clashes with the gardai.These violent confrontations,whoever their started by, are not heping anyone. The shell to sea campaign has to go back to its roots and get the whole country behind then again, like the pressure that was on Bertie to release the Rossport five. Irish people related to and felt sorry for their situation and got behind them and Bertie realised this. With these protests the shell to sea campiagn is losing support drastically,support that the Rossport people need in order to win this battle.
Forget videos of a girl getting 'knocked over' by the gardia,forget about showing us pictures of a guy with a scratch on his arm from the gardai and focus on the real story here....a community torn apart by goverment greed. The battle wont be won in Bellnaboy as it stands at the moment .It will be won with the poeple of Ireland getting behind the Rossport poeple and putting pressure on Bertie so he is forced to move Shell offshore

by Dr Nick Tue Nov 14, 2006 15:38

'Why did the cop move out of sight around the other side of the vehicle instead of straight after the girl along the verge in plain sight.'

Because it was easier to go round that way......

'What was he doing/planning/arranging on the other side of the van before re-approaching the girl? '

really reading too much into this......maybe talking about what he's going to have for lunch....

'What was he stuffing back into his pocket after he assaulted her?'

A packet of chewing gum,his phone...who knows

'Does he know that he has been identified?'
He's a gardai not an fbi agent.Im sure his identity isnt a closely guarded secret

'Does he know that he WILL be brought to justice?'
Im sure it doesnt keep him up at night

Really if protestors spent more time focussing on the real campaign then what the gardia are putting in their pockets Im sure the Rossport people would get what they want.....

by Joe Black Tue Nov 14, 2006 16:40

I would guess the problem is that it becomes hard to concentrate on the 'real campaign' while a couple of Shells cops are beating you around the thighs with batons and sneaking in a few blows to the face or kicks to the waist when they reckon the camera angles are right. There were broken bones and bleeding noses from last Friday - these came from somewhere.

I'ts easy to see the use of Gardai violence as a non issue when it is not your head under the club. If you are there trying to assert your freedom to protest while some louts are clubbing away at you then you might see things a little differently, all the more so if you had imagined the role of the Gardai was to protect you from louts with clubs.

by "Dr." Nick Tue Nov 14, 2006 16:56

If citizens isn't enough of an abstraction already to begin with, much like "public opinion", when did "us citizens" nominate you to speak for us? I must have been on my lunch break when that happened.

by Dr Nick Tue Nov 14, 2006 20:05

'If citizens isn't enough of an abstraction already to begin with, much like "public opinion", when did "us citizens" nominate you to speak for us? I must have been on my lunch break when that happened'

Just saying what my family in Limerick and friends in Dublin, none who are connected to the shell campaign (unlike the majority of people on this site) told me over the last couple of weeks. There is no need for the sarcasm,I am giving you opinions. Also surely it doesnt take me to tell you that public support for those in Rossport has dropped dramatically since the rossport five were imprisoned last year.There of course is still support but if people were imprisoned over this matter tommorow there would not be the outrage and pressure on Bertie to release them as there was last year. Its these violent protest that have done the damage in my honest opinion.

But back to the real Rossport campaign...what did that gardai put in his pocket.........

by Father Nick Wed Nov 15, 2006 13:48

"Its these violent protest that have done the damage in my honest opinion. "

Violent protests, of course, which never happened and don't exist anywhere outside lying statements by Government ministers and lying stories by O'Reilly /Murdoch journalists. It's unfortunate if some people have believed the lies put out by the government and the corporate media but there's nothing the S2S campaign can do about it, except put out the truth any chance they get. Your "support" for the campaign consists of you demanding that they roll over and stop the only form of protest that it capable of stopping the project. Of course, in that case there would be no need for the government or the media to demonise them, since they would present no obstacle whatsoever and could simply be ignored. Don't be waiting with baited breath for the S2S campaign to accept your kind advice, Nick.

by D Naah - N/A Wed Nov 15, 2006 15:01

Just finished looking at the clip which was posted in you tube. Failed to see the imfamious punch that was thrown by the garda , typical staged managed bull shit from shell to sea productions.

by moot boot? - none Thu Nov 23, 2006 03:55

i am responding to the letters suggesting that the gards were just policing
in a calm orderly way a voilent protest.RUBBISH
lets be clear ...............now
think back to the pictures of tienamen square that iconic image of the man holding back a line of tanks, he was using a technic called direct action he was a one man blockade and for some moments he stopped the advancing tanks
HIS ACTIONS ARE NON VIOLENT.

whether you agree with protestors in mayo ,
they have the right to protest,and to use whatever means they need to do this,which can include sit downs, ect, this is nonviolent
protestors against shell in nigeria ,where state forces are considerably more brutal,are murderd by the police , known as'the kill and go'.
the battle in mayo (though not as extreem )is the same stopping a massive multinational(SHELL) walking over people and in the process destroying the environment.

So for all the people who post comments suggesting that it was the protestors
are the violent ones,
i say where were you?
did you see the gards getting beaten?

I am a non- violent person, i have lost ALLrespect for the gards
i realise the are not all thugs , but the ones who are not cover for the ones who are.
one of my reasons for this feeling was my experience of being held between four gards and being kneed in the thigh numerous times by a gard,
i was defenceless,un-violent .
i will make a complaint ,though i have no faith whatsoever to the usefullness
of this action,

so i say to you who are in shadows unable to belive the system stinks
open your eyes.
to you who see..............carry on the fight against global capitalism,\
strive to protect the environment and the people who are under attack in this beautiful world .stay strong use you imagination you are on the right path.
you cant eat money.
smiling and continuing the actions for change