Pat O’Donnell Jailed 11


The jailing of Pat O’Donnell in Ireland for seven months for “obstructing a Garda” seems an appalling attempt to end local environmental opposition to a massive Shell pipeline project. Having seen so much of Shell’s appalling bullying of local communities in the Niger Delta, I did not really expect to see the same behaviour in Ireland.

A few months ago masked thugs attacked Pat and his brother and sank his fishing boat, thus ruining his livelihood. The Garda did nothing. Now they have arrested him for demonstrating, and a complicit judiciary has given a sentence for peaceful opposition activity that belongs in Uzbekistan, not in Ireland.

http://www.shelltosea.com/


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11 thoughts on “Pat O’Donnell Jailed

  • Clark

    I haven’t found a single mainstream report about this yet, and it happened a week ago. The corporate world is becoming completely brazen and arrogant in its oppression. This really does not bode well.

  • dreoilin

    I posted a few links, Craig, and then realised that they was probably the reason I got a “held for moderation” message.

  • Anonymous

    The imprisonment of Pat O’Donnell was portrayed by RTE as putting a thug behind bars. I saw their report. They gave no background but presumably didn’t feel the need as this has been a very long running saga. The people in the West of Ireland are hardy and stubborn, and it looks like they are being vindicated on safety issues at least.

    The Irish Times reported that Shell is delaying some of its work that will not now go ahead in 2010. The Times only referred to Pat O’Donnell in the last paragraph or so of that report.

    Anyone who’s interested can read Fintan O’Toole’s piece from February 16 in the Irish Times.

    http://tinyurl.com/y8ugq7t

    And here’s a Limerick blogger venting (May 2008) about the deal the Irish government made with Shell:

    http://tinyurl.com/yf375mw

    Fianna Fail (one of the two big parties, both of which had their roots in the Civil War) has been in power (or the main party in a coalition) for 50 of the last 80 years, and is widely considered to be corrupt. Bertie Ahern resigned in the middle of investigations into his finances.

    Periodically I get serious RSI in my arm/shoulder, so I may not be able to come back for a while. If I don’t look after it I could find myself forced off the computer.

    Looking forward to Craig’s radio play this afternoon.

  • Chrissie

    He’s a ‘thug’ who waited till he was in his 50s before landing in Court? I think not; Pat O’Donnell has a history of hard work & service to his community, including saving lives in a sea-rescue. The State has tried many dirty tricks to impose this unsafe project; see Shell to Sea videos on You Tube, especially ‘Digger & Cops’ – Gardai using a JCB against peaceful protestors.

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