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Dublin: 10 °C Monday 20 May, 2013

Rossport campaigners under 24 hour surveillance

A report from the private security company employed by Shell EP Ireland included details and movements of people in the camp.

File photo of protestors at Camp Solidarity
File photo of protestors at Camp Solidarity
Image: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

MEMBERS OF THE Rossport solidarity camp at Aughoose in Mayo are seeking legal advice over a report that suggests a private security company has the camp under 24 hour surveillance.

It is understood that a circulation from the security company which included information on numbers of people in the camp at different times and their movements was unintentionally forwarded to a non company email address.

The Irish Times reported that the report had been sent to a group of 10 people, including two retired members of the Garda Siochána.

The report, seen by TheJournal.ie and  dated 29 June, provides 24 hour timeline with details of people entering and leaving Camp Solidarity as well as descriptions of “known” vehicles.

A spokesperson for Integrated Rish Management Services, the company hired by Shell EP Ireland to provide security at Corrib gas project work sites said, “We are tasked with protecting people and property in respect of the Corrib gas project and in so doing, operate to the highest standards, acting responsibly and proportionally at all times.”

Speaking to TheJournal.ie a spokesman for Shell to Sea said surveillance by the security is not something new. “They’re not just beside the compound, they’re around the community all the time and it’s having an effect on local people too”, he said.

He said people in the camp were “stressed and intimidated” by the security company’s activities but said “there are no authorities we can turn to”.

Socialist MEP Paul Murphy described the report as “extremely sinister” and part of a “pattern over years of harassment of legitimate and peaceful protestors by Shell’s private security force”.

Related: Shell lorry stuck at Co Mayo crossroads>

Four arrested after Shell to Sea protesters block convoy>

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Comments (70 Comments)

  • The protesters are hardly fecking saints. Would you blame Shell!

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  • To the best of my knowledge there is no law against what IRMS are doing. They are providing 24 hour security to property the same as what happens all over the country everyday. Any large company you go into these days logs your name, your car details and who you are visiting so what are these people on about? Are they somehow more special than us? Considering the amount of trouble that they have caused i’m not surprised that they are constantly being watched.

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  • give all the protestors lots of shares in shell and watch there “ideals” and more importantly protests wither and die….

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    • http://www.shelltosea.com/content/behind-story-pipe
      “Behind the Story. What do people do when the law prevents them from protecting themselves? Irish documentary filmmaker Risteard O’Domhnaill witnessed firsthand the ten year battle of a small Irish village that stood up to the Shell Oil Company. In an interview with CIR, O’Domhnaill details his experience of making the movie and how one has to go behind the reports put forth by mainstream Irish media to get to the real story.”

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  • Whatever your opinion of the Rossport Protesters, the fact that a privately owned company is engaging in activity that is usually done by a state (with all the checks and balances to ensure a state acts constitutionally), is a dangerous precedent.

    People somehow think that by dehumanising the protesters, that the actions of the security company is justified. As I have pointed out numerous times on this site, the moronic mob would happily give all their rights away to appease what they perceive to be an annoyance.

    Quite frankly the lack of foresight demonstrated by some on this site shows how little democracy is thought of in this country. To think the peoples of the Arab world risk their lives day in day out for rights that some Irish people are simply too stupid to appreciate.

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  • I’d classify these protesters as a mixed bag of build nothing, anywhere, near anything ever- types and associated unemployable misfits from republicanism and the far left.

    This has all already been through the courts. Numerous times. I’m all for protest where necessary but this is pure acting the maggot and we’re past time where boots in the collective hole need to be administered.

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    • the lost,, the lost is right,, wouldn’t say you would know a protest if it was outside your house.

      “unemployable misfits from republicanism and the far left” WTF does this mean,, just put everybody into a little box and make it nice and tidy in that little head of your, you my friend is what is wrong with this country/World

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    • the lost lenore,

      I’ve a hunch that’s not your real name. Be a man and display your real name. I’m sure you would be brave enough to say that in public and not behind a computer. Coward!

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    • So everyone with an opinion at variance with yours should publish their full name on a public forum? I can only aspire to such unflinching machismo and steely resolve. Are you sure Tim Jackson’s your real name and not Chuck Norris?

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    • journal.ie….Can someone get a hold of this Tim Jackson guy??? All he seems to be doing is trying to pick fights….

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  • LOLing at Paul Murphy describing the protestors as “peaceful”.

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  • neither side is innocent on this don’t try make out that the protesters are peaceful non-violent, non-intimidating, hard working individuals cos if they were they wouldn’t have the time to be up there night and day. If shell are no saints get the proof go to the european courts and get them sorted but stop saying that people are misguided cos they were never up there, everytime one of yer lot goes on tv or hands out leaflets or does public showings ye sound like raving lunatics who are attention seekers.

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  • Con I like the way that you put steal in inverted commas. I presume that is because Shell are not actually stealing the resources but are in fact abiding by a legal contract signed by Ray Burke who was acting for a FF Government. Shell saw a good deal and ran with it and for all the “renegotiation” that S2S rant on about they will never give up on such a sweet deal. No company on earth would for God’s sake. The S2S crowd would be far better off picketing the politicians that sold off our resources for a song and making sure that it doesn’t happen in the future. All they are doing now is fighting against the inevitable and costing the State and the taxpayers a small fortune for a battle that they will ultimately lose.

    That is the reality of the situation. S2S are fighting the wrong crowd as Shell have the law behind them. S2S should be attacking those who made the law in the first place.

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  • think that by focussing on the protesters we are missing the point of what is happening in Rossport., A case of shooting the messenger before we get the message.. The community at Rossport have legitimate concerns that have not been addressed. Many of the protesters are local people.We can dismiss a lot of serious issues in this country because the so called crustys and welfare lifers are involved..But perhaps we should look at the issues not those protesting. It makes sense that the Irish people should benefit from any oil , alternative energy or gas deal. It makes sense to make sure small communities interests are protected. It makes sense to protect our land because it is that which feeds us..and isn’t it great that some people see this and do something?

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    • @ Anna Marie Dowdican.. It’s a shame some if the idiots posting here don’t share the same view.. Sure that’s what has the country in the state it’s in.. people that believe the crap thats printed in the papers & on RTE, not looking at the bigger picture at all or not caring because it doesn’t affect them so knock down the people that are standing up in what they believe in…

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    • Amazing that you have received so many thumbs down by so many ignorant people who decide to believe everything they read in the papers and everything that the state owned broadcaster tells them. I was narrow minded about this topic until I done my research and now I am behind the protesters 100%.

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  • Good enough for them. Hippie filth.

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  • If this was Africa, shell would have had the protestors executed years ago. I don’t see how people could side with shell so easily when they are taking our resources for nearly nothing, not to mind having a free pass to do what they want to the environment up there.

    And then the Garda protecting a foreign company while they extract our resources.

    Fair play to everyone trying to stop it.

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    • The Gardai are trying to protect the peace and have to do irrespective of whether the individual or company is foreign or not. AFAIK no Shell employee has chained themselves to machinery, blocked roads, driven cars at police or caused a public order offence. As a result of the actions of the protesters more than €17 million has been spent on policing when it could have been spent on keeping police station’s around the country open or Garda cars on the road.

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    • Brian Ward the right winger.

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    • “If this was Africa, shell would have had the protestors executed years ago” if only we could get away with that here

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    • Oh so now I’m a right winger! Only the other day I was accused of being a left winger! Christ I’m all over the pitch at the moment, maybe I should play center field for a while until people can figure out what political position they want to put me into.

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    • I actually think the Gardai are in a no win situation , and as individuals I am sure most of them can see the bigger picture. However as agents of the state they are paid to do a job and that is to preserve peace . I am not happy that they should be provoked or provoke any situation that could lead to potential clashes.

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    • Stephen Church
      Are you inciting violence ? Bad move boy ! But would you , yes YOU ,be brave enough to start it ?

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    • @Brian Ward : if you wouldn’t mind explaining how the Gardai are trying to keep the peace? Why would the gardai allow shell to trespass onto land, where the land owner was present and told them he did not want them on his land. There were 30 protesters present stopping shell gaining access to a field. The gardai then brought in a digger and used the bucket of a digger to force open a gate squashing protesters. And this is gardai keeping the peace. And before you ask, this was all recorded and is on you tube! Would you stop being so narrow minded and not believe everything you read in the papers.

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  • Typical ill informed hippies, crusties comments from people who have never even met any of the people involved in these protests. Just going on the narrative from the media and government. Bunch of fools and traitors. You deserve everything you get and everything thats coming.

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  • Sad to see so many seemingly intelligent people people on here defending a security company who certainly have a lot of questions to answer. And defending a huge rich multi-national company who are going to “steal” a natural resourse which belongs to the Irish people. The State, including an Taoiseach, local man Enda Kenny, the Gardaí, the majorty of Irish media are rowing in behind Shell. Why? What has happened to the spirit once shown by another Mayo man Michael Davitt?

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  • Just another example of big business stepping on the little guy, and all you weak minded easily lead sheep, that immediately launch into “crustys and welfare lifer” or “Get a job”
    so how much are the people of Ireland getting from this deal, what about the locals and there concerns FOR WERE THEY LIVE!!!

    Sickens me that most of you don’t know the details but jump on the side of a faceless cold calculating corporation. They don’t care about your country or the people who live in it they don’t give a F**k about you , they care about the bottom line and if that means taking short cuts are trampling on the rights of people they will, which has been proven again and again across the world, but most of the people in this country re too wrapped up in there own little bubbles of x-factor and following anorexic fashion culture that you can longer form your own opinion from facts , many just relythe mindless mainstream media which has been bought and paid for a long time ago like the leaders you put your faith in.

    WAKE UP

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  • Would north mayo and its people even still exist if the high-pressure pipeline had been in place when the earthquake struck a few months ago?This pipline will pass a few metres from locals houses and through a Special Area of Conservation..The refinery will also send its processed wastewater to Carrowmore lake which supplies water to 10,000 people.Is this really the best and safest way to handle this project?

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  • Would you expect anything different from a bunch of hired thugs.

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  • This firm are a disgrace. They’ve been harassing the community there for years.

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  • It’s simple; I need gas that isn’t coming from the gangster state of Russia. A bunch of hillbillies from mayo shouldnt be allowed to deny the majority of the people enjoy the benefits of Irish gas.

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  • 10/08/12 #

    The crusties and misfits that object to these types of projects should be refused by ESB , BGE , or any other energy providers of heating electricity etc. I’m sure they wouldn’t be long backing down unfortunately we depend on this type of energy and hd has to be got from dome where there are high pressure gas lines all over cork Dublin etc. we don’t complain think of all the fuss and cost over glen of the downs for what these crusties get bored and move on !

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    • But Brian, you still think that people shouldn’t protest at the deal made by the corrupt Ray Burke.

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    • Protest yes but protest against the right people! If you had read my original comment (where I mentioned Ray Burke) you would have read where I said, ah sod it I’m not going to repeat myself. Read what I said and target the people who should be targeted for throwing away out resources. They are the usual sort ( here is a clue http://www.google.ie/search?q=ray+burke&aq=f&sugexp=chrome,mod=11&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 ) but rather than call them to task the S2S crowd want to take on Shell. Why? Shell have broken no laws that I am aware of but if I am wrong then I would like to know what they are and I will graciously accept that I am wrong. I have no problem condemning Shell if they have broken the law in any way.

      What I do have a problem with is the waste of money a Garda time policing a Don Quixote campaign while the real targets of the campaign should be the individuals who brought about this mess.

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  • There should be a lawsuit filed against this security company. They are clearly acting outside the law.

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  • The corrib pipeline protesters are the lowest of the low. Trying to put the selfishness of one town above the benefit of 4.5m people. Anybody that tries to stop that pipeline should be given lengthy prison sentences.

    Reply

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