On The Ground, Ireland: New Cops, New Violence Parts One & Two

Monday morning, 12 March 2007, saw the transfer of a new contingent of guards to police the Shell gas terminal refinery construction site at Bellanaboy, County Mayo, North West Ireland.

Video 120307_New_Cops – video/x-ms-wmv 12M

Monday morning, 12 March 2007, saw the transfer of a new contingent of guards to police the Shell gas terminal refinery construction site at Bellanaboy, County Mayo, North West Ireland.

Video 120307_New_Cops – video/x-ms-wmv 12M

Several protestors, both young and old, stepped in the road to peacefully blockade trucks and buses going into the site. The guards immediately jumped on them with increasing violence, ending in all out unprovoked attacks.

Many of the new guards are listed as “U” on their lapels. This journalist was informed by a local this means the guards have been drafted in from Dublin.

Officer U235 was the guard who drop-kicked the young man at the end of the video.

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Tuesday 13 March, the second day of new guards at the Shell Gas Terminal construction site at Bellanaboy, County Mayo, North West Ireland, again saw police violence escalate further.

Video 130307_New_Cops_P2 – video/x-ms-wmv 14M

One protestor attempted to block a bus carrying Shell workers into the site.

In response the guards attacked everyone, knocking Mary, wife of Rossport Five Willie Corduff, to the ground. People suffered various attacks from shoves, punches, kicks and grabs to the throat, including this journalist.

Again the main aggressor was guard U235, who was the hand that pushed Mary and instigated a second attack on an elderly gentlema, who was thrown to the ground with a specific martial arts leg sweep. The man fell back hitting his head and his glasses were broken. Luckily he sustained no serious injury.