Report from the Rossport Solidarity Camp.

Last Monday morning at 9:20am a truck carrying earthmoving machinery and a dumper carrying gravel tried to gain access to the refinery site at Bellanaboy to do preparatory work on another Axonics water treatment system.
About 20 protesters, both residents and campers, blocked their entry. Shell to Sea's position is that no equipment will be admitted onto the site until Mayo County Council and Shell explain why another Axonics system is needed when they say that there is no contaminated water being released from the site.
Video footage has shown that the present Axonics system doesn't work, dirty water is passing through a non operational filtration system and flowing off the site and into Carrowmore lake, the source of local drinking water. Yet Shell and Mayo County Council won't admit there's a problem or take responsibility.
You can read all about the water issue and the blockade at Bellanaboy on indymedia
www.indymedia.ie/article/75224
www.indymedia.ie/article/74919
www.indymedia.ie/article/74344

High court
On Friday 7th the Rossport 5 were back in court so the high court president could decide what punishment they would receive for refusing to obey a high court injunction last year, for which they already spent 94 days in prison. Justice Finnegan ruled that they would not serve any further punishment as he was taking into account the 94 days. However he awarded costs to Shell, its not clear until the written judgement is released whether the Rossport 5 will be faced with paying all the legal costs. But Shell have not applied for costs and we believe it very unlikely that they will, as this would generate further bad publicity for them. About 30 or 40 Erris residents travelled to the high court today with the 5 men. There were also protests organised in Dublin by the Dublin Shell to Sea group.
We're getting a lot of visitors on the camp recently from all over the country and especially from the UK. We have the London based samba band Rhythms of Resistance coming to visit us in the next few days. We intend to go with them to the larger towns in Mayo to hand out flyers, make music and publicise the camp.
We've been busy working away on the camp too. We have running water, electricity from solar panels and a wind turbine is on the way. We have some really good ways of dealing with our waste and the camp is running in a really sustainable manner. For information on this look at www.indymedia.ie/article/74884
So the camp is ready for people to start coming and staying, we have really cosy communal sleeping benders with wood burning stoves but bring a tent if you need privacy. While we love getting visitors we really need people to come and live on the camp for longer periods of time. If you want to come for any length of time, just get in contact, rossportsolidaritycamp@gmail.com
00 353 97 20944 or 00 353 87 6543425

Flyers and posters
We've just gotten loads of great colour flyers and posters made if any of you can help us distribute them please get in touch.
Two really good fundraisers are being organised for us in the coming weeks, I would recommend going to them if you can.
In Galway on Saturday 6th May in Richardson's there will be bands, reggae and techno djs and jugglers. For more info call Belle 085 7210636
And in Cork on Friday 12th of May there's the chaos cabaret. A night of madness, mayhem, politics and attitude is promised. For more information www.indymedia.ie/article/75164

Rossport Solidarity Camp June Bank Holiday Gathering
In June 2006 it will be one year since the Rossport Solidarity Camp opened. We set this camp up to offer practical support and solidarity to the people of Erris, Co. Mayo in their struggle against the oil multinationals and the state. As many of you are aware Shell, Statoil and Marathon propose to build a dangerous high pressure raw gas pipeline through unstable bog land and farm land and to build a huge inland refinery that would seriously pollute the local area. For 5 years now they have been stopped.
Serious resistance began last summer with the jailing of the Rossport 5, the setting up of a solidarity camp and the emergence of a national campaign. Constant pickets prevented construction work and local fishermen threatened to blockade the worlds largest pipe laying ship if it attempted to lay the off shore section of the pipeline.
Solidarity actions and rallies took place all over the world.
To celebrate our 1-year anniversary and to get more people to Co. Mayo and involved with the campaign, we are hosting a June bank holiday weekend gathering on the camp.
The gathering will take place from the 2nd to the 5th of June. There will be movies, workshops, a forum on privatisation, practical demonstrations, a tour of the area, speeches and workshops by local residents, music etc.
Food and camping accommodation will be provided on the camp. We are also encouraging people with time to spare to come earlier in the week to help with set up.
Exact details of workshops and the weekend programme will follow soon.
For more information contact rossportsolidaritycamp@gmail.com
00 353 (0) 97 20944
00 353 (0) 87 6543425 (Tracey)
00 353 (0) 86 3588890 (Michael)
Well that's all our news, for updates on the campaign go to www.indymedia.ie/mayo
Tracey