Ireland OnLine: Freedom setback for jailed Shell pipeline protesters
Posted Thursday 7 July 2005
Five men jailed for their opposition to a Shell gas pipeline in Mayo cannot rely on the quashing of the injunction against them to secure their release, a court heard today.
Micheal O’Seighin, Vincent McGrath, his brother Philip, Willie Corduff and Brandon Philbin are being held in Cloverhill prison in Dublin for refusing to obey the injunction taken out by Shell.
It prevents them from obstructing the construction of the pipeline through their land in Rosscourt, Co Mayo.
At the High Court in Dublin senior counsel Patrick Hanratty, representing Shell, said it was extremely misleading to imply that an application to quash the injunction would free the men.
He said that the impression had been created that a rabbit could be pulled out of the hat.
“The situation is sensitive because five people are in jail. Shell do not want anyone in jail, they just want to proceed with the construction of the pipeline,” he said.
The president of the high court, Judge Joseph Finnigan, said it should be made clear that the application by solicitor Greg Casey to quash the injunction was being brought on the behalf of two people who were party to the injunction granted to Shell but were not in custody.
He told senior counsel John Rogers, representing the five men, that even if the injunction was lifted the men would remain in prison because they would still be in contempt of court.
“The short answer is that their fate is in their own hands still. It’s up to them to purge their contempt,” he said.
Judge Finnigan set a date for mention for next Monday for the application against the injunction to be brought by Mr Casey, who is ill at present.
He will argue that a recent statement in the Dáil by Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Minister Noel Dempsey indicated that Shell did not have full consent to construct the pipeline.
The five men were put in Cloverhill prison last week and have stated publicly that they are determined to continue their opposition to the pipeline.
Shell E & P Ireland is seeking to pump gas at high pressure from the Corrib gas field along the pipe to an onshore refinery at Bellanoboy in Mayo as part of a €990m project.
The five men have agreed to respect a second injunction granted to Shell, preventing them from obstructing the road to the company’s construction depot in Rossport.
Judge Finnigan said he was aware there were ongoing difficulties, with recent reports that protesters were continuing to block the road in defiance of the injunction.
He said he wanted the order posted at both ends of the road.
“Anyone who sees fit to disobey that order, certainly if they’re brought before the court, they’ll be dealt with.”
The five men were not in court for the brief hearing.
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Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
