Rally to be held in Dublin for jailed Shell protesters

The families and supporters of the so-called "Rossport Five", the five north Mayo men in prison over their opposition to the Shell Corrib gas pipeline, are to hold a demonstration in Dublin city centre on Saturday.

Announcing details in Dublin yesterday, Maura Herrington, a spokeswoman for the Shell to Sea campaign, said if Shell was allowed to continue building its pipeline in Co Mayo, a dangerous precedent would have been set.

"The focus of the march will be going from the specific to the general. In other words, the injustice which is currently being suffered by those five men in Cloverhill is also being perpetrated on every man, woman and child in the country. For the first time in the history of the State, an attempt was made to take people's lands from them for the benefit of a consortium of private companies.

"This has never happened before and it's a very worrying development if it should succeed."

Mary Corduff, whose husband Willie is one of the men in prison, insisted they would only purge their contempt if Shell agreed to process gas offshore.

"Nothing short of that can happen, we can't take that responsibility on the people's lives down there because of the danger of this pipeline. The message should be loud and clear at this stage that the only way this pipeline can come in to our village is clean, that's refined at sea.

"In the interests of all Irish people, not only us living down in Rossport, it has to come in that way."

Orla McGrath, the daughter of Philip McGrath who is also in prison, was strongly critical of the Government. "They have told us they want us to go into dialogue with Shell. But why should we speak to Shell? It's the Government's responsibility to look after us, the citizens."

Mayo TD Jerry Cowley (Ind) urged Fine Gael to make a statement on its policy to the pipeline.

He said that while Labour leader Pat Rabbitte would be on the platform at Saturday's rally, there had been no such assurance from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny - also a Mayo TD.

The march begins at 2pm at the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square.