SHELL TO SEA PRESS RELEASE 18/06/07

On Monday 11th June last in Pollatomish, County Mayo, members of An Garda Siochana used extreme violence, including the use of a mechanical digger as a battering ram, to facilitate Shell's tresspass onto private property to carry out illegal work.The events, witnessed and experienced by a large number of local residents, have left people both physically injured and severely traumatised, and marks the lowest point yet in the authorities' handling of the controversial Corrib gas project.Those responsible for these events must be held to account for their actions, including the machine operator, supervising senior Garda and Shell themselves. This situation demands an immediate investigation, and to this end we are notifying the Garda Ombudsman Complaints Commission as a matter of urgency, and will be reporting in full Shell's reckless behaviour to the Health and Safety Authority.Because of the continuous disregard for people's rights, supposedly protected by the Irish Constitution, The EU Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we will also be informing the relevant national and international bodies of the worsening situation in Erris.Unless immediate action is taken to monitor and control all aspects of the Corrib gas project, events such as these will inevitably lead to tragedy.ENDFor comment or verification call John Monaghan on +353 86 3123439