Three local fishermen were arrested at an early-morning protest blocking Shell's Corrib gas terminal site in Co Mayo, it emerged today. One garda sustained an injury to his hand after he was pushed to the ground and another suffered cuts to his face.
"One person was arrested for the assault of a garda and two others were arrested for public order offences," a Garda spokesman said today.
The Shell To Sea group, which has been staging the demos at the Bellanaboy site since October 3rd, suggested that legal action may be taken against officers who it claims are heavy-handed.
Spokesman Mark Garavan said: "Numerous incidents have been logged by monitors and will be pursued in due course."
The three fishermen are believed to be members of the Erris Inshore Fishermen's Association, which joined the Shell To Sea campaign this week. Shell To Sea wants the gas refined offshore rather than inland.
Up to 110 gardai are on duty at the protest every day, and the number jumped to 170 on one occasion last week. The officers escort a convoy of vehicles carrying workers onto the terminal site near Belmullet.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the cost of the garda operation has reached €675,639. This figure only covers overtime and subsidies but excludes salaries.
Justice Minster Michael McDowell said in a reply to a Dail question that some 45 gardai came from Dublin divisions, 24 from Munster counties and 23 from Leinster divisions.
Local Mayo independent TD Jerry Cowley, said today: "The gardai are trying to quash a peaceful protest against pushing through a project that is going nowhere.
"The local people are under attack by their local government and the terrible irony is that we have to pay for it." A group of Shell To Sea protesters yesterday occupied the headquarters of Shell Ireland in Dublin.
Some staged a sit-down demo in the lobby of the building, while others climbed on to the one-storey roof of the reception area. Gardai made no arrests.
Sinn Fein claimed the Shell protestors were being demonised and treated as criminals by the state and the mainstream media.
Natural resources spokesman Martin Ferris also criticised the Garda handling of the campaign and media reports that campaigners were engaged in intimidation.
"Massive Garda resources are being deployed to enforce the will of a multi-national against the wishes of the local people and against the economic interests of the Irish people," he said.
"While decent law abiding people are being dragged off the roads in Bellanaboy, Shell's friends in the media are conducting a campaign to portray them in a sinister light," he added.