Protest at the 2nd Annual Oil and Gas Summit, 4-5 June dublin | environment | press release Thursday June 05, 2014 11:53 Thursday June 05, 2014 11:53 by Earth First! Éire by Earth First! Éire earthfirsteire at riseup dot net Yesterday, Wednesday the 4th of June, activists from No Fracking Dublin, Earth First Éire, Shell to Sea, Young Friends of the Earth and other concerned citizens gathered outside the Conrad Hotel on Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2 to protest Ireland's reliance on fossil fuels and the giveaway of natural resources by the state.

Protest at the 2nd Annual Oil and Gas Summit



Yesterday, Wednesday the 4th of June, activists from No Fracking Dublin,

Earth First Éire, Shell to Sea, Young Friends of the Earth and other

concerned citizens gathered outside the Conrad Hotel on Earlsfort Terrace,

Dublin 2 to protest Ireland's reliance on fossil fuels and the giveaway of

natural resources by the state.



Inside the hotel, delegates from oil & gas exploration and production

companies, state and semi-state regulatory bodies and industry

representatives met to discuss their prospects in Ireland. Topics include

the Larne-Lough Neagh Basin in Co. Antrim which faces the prospect of

hydraulic fracturing, an overview of Ireland's regulatory regime,

exploration in Northern Ireland and most notably "How will Ireland adapt

to accommodate a burgeoning oil industry?"



The latter topic is key to the protesters anger, namely that the balance

of power lies heavily on the side of the industry and that it effectively

dictates to the state the terms under which they are allowed to drill and

subsequently produce.



Con Coughlan, a protester from Mayo: "Energy extraction companies have

failed to address the concerns of locals in the past in Ireland and have

been involved in huge corruption scandals abroad. If these companies get

their foot in the door they will devastate beautiful parts of the country

while lining their pockets and when it all goes wrong it will be the

people that will be left to clean up the mess"



Marcus, from Young Friends of the Earth, when asked why he was present

today said: "With the impending fracking operations on our doorstep, its

terrifying to think that our government would allow companies to risk the

health of our environment for a quick quid. We have seen cases of failed

frack wells poisoning aquifers with disastrous effects and now they want

to drill here. There has even been mention of exploration near the Irish

cold water coral reefs on the Atlantic shelf. These delegates have no

concept of the delicate nature of the eco-systems that they are attempting

to work in."



There was a presence outside the hotel from early morning and as the day

wore on more people joined the demonstration, bringing a diversity of

issues into the public forum. Some people handed out leaflets to

passers-by and spoke to them about the threat of fracking, runaway climate

change and the role of the state in handing over control of fossil fuel

deposits to multinationals. Some respectfully approached passing workers

offering trays of dirty, "fracked" water for them to sample. No bottles

were accepted.



At approximately half past two, a group of seven protesters entered the

hotel in an attempt to engage the delegates on the issues that were being

raised outside. They were first blocked in the foyer by members of staff

and management but eventually, and in some confusion, reached the banquet

hall where the summit was taking place.



In attempting to enter the ballroom, several protesters were assaulted by

the management, being struck, shoved to the ground and their limbs

twisted. The higher-ups of the hotel staff were also quite verbal,

threatening an escalation of violence if the protesters did not leave the

hotel.



One man, who appeared to be in charge, threatened to break the neck of a

demonstrator and was heard to say "I don't care about the planet, burn the

lot. Rape the lot".



Three demonstrators were able to remain inside the ballroom for some time

and debated with the speaker about cases of corruption in Ireland allowing

the oil and gas industry to operate with impunity and unbridled greed. The

speaker was willing to engage and defended himself and his position in the

industry by saying that we should use our vote to stop them, as this is a

democracy.



In response, Con Coughlan highlights that: "Previous experiences have

taught us that the state is willing to facilitate the industries

activities through lax regulation and corporate policing. The community in

North West Mayo have tried to tackle the state/corporate complex for over

a decade and have endured police brutality and an absence of justice when

attempting to raise the issue."



After a short time the protesters left and Gardai were called to the scene

but no arrests were made. The demonstration continued and grew in numbers

to about 40, holding many colourful banners and placards. While many

members of the public seemed unaware of issues such as fracking, there was

a predominantly positive response from those who stopped, offering

messages of support and solidarity.



The summit continues today, Thursday, and demonstrations will go forward

as planned. Protesters call for and welcome further support in their

continued presence in front of the Conrad Hotel throughout the day.



Caption: Oil & Gas summit disrupted by campaigners in Dublin at Conrad Hotel, June 4th 2014

Digg this del.icio.us Furl Reddit Technorati Facebook Twitter << Back To Newswire