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Shell to Sea Galway St Patrick's Day![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() St Patrick’s Day saw Galway Shell to Sea organise a city-wide day of action and outreach. Massive crowds flocked to the city for the culmination of the Galway St. Patrick’s week festival and parade. The all-Ireland Irish language marathon “Rith 2010” also finished in the city centre on the same day. Given all this, Galway S2S felt such an opportunity was not to be missed to inform people about the plight of Rossport and the war Shell, Statoil and Vermillion Oil are waging against its residents with full support of the Irish State. The abhorrent jailing of Pat O’ Donnell was much publicised also. Over 400 copies of the excellent “Someday Independent” were distributed, along with copies of the Afri documents, DVDs and more. 6 banners were hung throughout the city’s busiest intersections, including directly over the parade route. At one point, one particularly pig-headed member of the Garda Síochana took a copy of the Someday Independent from the hands of a Shell to Sea activist, only to scrunch it up and throw it in the bin in front of us. Upon being confronted about this, he became increasingly hostile and eventually told the same activist that he was either going to take a €50 fine or be arrested for a public order offense and face court! Not wanting to land in Mill St. on St. Patricks Day, the fine was begrudgingly accepted-despite the fact that NO offence had occurred. Political policing, sure the Gardai have plenty of practice at it. The commotion caused by the Gardai’s attempt to criminalise us only created more interest in our issue, providing a further clear example of the Gardai’s overall antagonistic attitude towards the public that day. Despite this set back, the day was a huge success and the Shell to Sea message was met with some great support, despite the corporate media’s sustained attempts to demonise us. |
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Jump To Comment: 1 2 3Great work from Galway! That Garda showed the public what he's made of...so much for community relations.
As usual you folks have done a great service for the people THANK YOU.
I hope that Garda's name and number was recorded, someday they will be held accountable for their abuse.
Gníomh thar barr! Guím gach rath ar Shell Chun Sáile Ghaillimh, tá sár-jab a dhéanamh agaibh!