The Co Mayo based 'Shell to Sea' group, which is fighting plans by the multinational oil company to site a dangerous gas storage terminal at Bellanaboy, Co Mayo, are keeping up a relentless level of proterst across Ireland and beyond.

On Saturday a number of activists took part in a protest today outside the Odyssey Arena's attraction in Belfast, where a wildlife photography exhbition sponsored by Shell Oil was being staged.

The gall of Shell, given its atrocious record on the environment, in sponsoring this exhibition, - part of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition run by the Natural History Museum in England and the BBC - was rightly castigated as no more than a cynical PR stunt.

The activists present displayed images and handed out leaflets giving examples of the true environmental impact of Shell's actions throughout the world and also its human rights record.

Meanwhile, protesters from 'Shell to Sea' also managed to dodge the heavy security at the Ard Fheis of Fianna Fáil (Ireland's governing party) . A number of activists held a protest at the main door of the Ard Fheis venue in Dublin.

Banners were unfurled and delegates addressed by one protester through a megaphone. He pointed out that the people of Ireland were being forced by the government to watch as their natural resources were handed over to Shell and Statoil, with nothing coming back, while the people of Erris, Co Mayo, had to put up with the degradation of their environment.

Shamefully, once again the full force of the police was deployed. The protesters were surrounded by Garda and security guards and they were manhandled into a special branch car and removed from the scene.

Paradoxically, in addressing this years Ard Fheis hypocritical Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has spoken at length about the, supposed, Fianna Fáil commitment to protecting Ireland's natural environment its farm families, rural and coastal communities. He described these communities as "the heart and soul of Ireland" but failed to mention that his governments policies and the 'blank cheque his government has written Shell and Statoil are ripping the heart out of one of those communities. Meanwhile his government turns its own police force and special branch on those 'farm families and rural communities that he eulogises'.

The Celtic League Secretary General will be registering a protest with the Office of the Taoiseach about the heavy handed police suppression of these legitimate protests.

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

26/03/07

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