Workers Solidarity Movement

The battle by the community in Rossport Co. Mayo to prevent Shell from riding roughshod over their rights and safety shot to national prominence late last year when 5 local men (who became known as the Rossport 5) spent over 3 months in jail. The men were imprisoned for protesting against attempts by Shell to bring a high-pressure gas pipeline across their lands in close proximity to their homes.

While the issue may be temporarily off the national news agenda, it hasn’t gone away. Indeed the community in the Erris area of Mayo has spent the winter months preparing for the next round of the battle to fight to ensure that the health and safety of their families, community and environment will be protected.

The Rossport Solidarity Camp was established last year to provide a means by which people from outside Mayo could show their support for the battle being waged by local people. According to their website, http://www.struggle.ws/rsc/ the camp aims
· To block and protect the land in Rossport from any encroachment by Shell.
· To guard, picket and blockade the Shell compound in Rossport, as do the local people at the proposed refinery site 10km inland at Bellanaboy.
· To be a focus, an info point and a venue for visitors who come to find out more about what's going on and/or to stay.
· To support the families of The Rossport Five.

The Rossport Solidarity Camp will be re-opening in March and will again provide a focus for people who wish to show their solidarity with the local community in their attempts to resist the bullying of Shell. From March members of the Solidarity Camp are looking more people to go to Mayo for a few days at a time or longer. The Workers Solidarity Movement, along with other anarchists and libertarians in Dublin, will be organising a solidarity weekend at the Camp in the next couple of weeks. We would like as many people as possible to join us. If you are interested in coming along, please contact Finbar on 086-1943867.

For more information on the Rossport Solidarity Camp and on the ShelltoSea Campaign see http://www.struggle.ws/rsc/ and http://www.corribsos.com/. Keep up to date with news from the campaign on www.indymedia.ie