Olof Gill
A report, published recently by an American group based on their ‘fact-finding mission’ to north Mayo in February 2007, paints a very negative picture of the role played by gardaí in the Corrib gas stand-off. The report claims that Mayo gardaí, among other misdemeanours, used ‘excessive physical force’ and did not appear to be ‘trained in the necessary skills needed to manage peaceful demonstrations and civil disobedience actions’.
However, the claims have been strongly rejected by Mayo’s Chief Superintendent, Tony McNamara, who described the report as ‘unbalanced and biased’.
Global Community Monitor (GCM), an American non-profit group, describes itself as an ‘environmental justice and human rights non-profit group that empowers industrial communities to recreate a clean, healthy and truly sustainable environment’. According to their report, ‘the delegation toured the area of the pipeline and refinery projects, held a public hearing with a court reporter in order to take testimony and spoke individually with members of the community, gardaí, and media about the issues of concern’.
Moreover, the delegation ‘requested meetings with the Garda Superintendent in Belmullet and with Mayo County Council, but these requests were rejected’. The report claims that it ‘does not take a position against or in favour of the gas pipeline and refinery project. Neither does it review the activities of the oil companies involved. The report is limited to the relations between the local community and the Gardaí’.
The report claims gardaí sometimes resorted to ‘excessive physical force against peaceful protestors who were prepared to be arrested, which resulted in serious injury’ and also cited ‘evidence of the Gardaí verbally threatening people without cause, which appeared to incite violence rather than diffuse it’.
In conclusion, the report stated that ‘the situation in County Mayo arising from the Royal Dutch Shell pipeline and on-shore refinery has already resulted in serious injury, loss of trust in the rule of law and the Gardaí and disruption to the culture and values of the area’.
Responding to the allegations, Mayo Gardaí rubbished the report, outlining their ‘serious concerns about GCM’s credentials’. Chief Supt Tony McNamara told The Mayo News that ‘these people [GCM] are unknown to us’. “They appear to be a self-appointed, non-government body and their report is full of contradictions and mistakes.”
Chief Supt McNamara also questioned the group’s impartiality, saying that ‘these are clearly people with an agenda, and their report is unbalanced and totally biased’. “They have possibly been brought in by people in north Mayo – it’s a mystery to us where they came from.”
He also expressed his disappointment that the group had not attempted to contact him during its research.
Chief Supt Macnamara was quick to defend the actions of Gardaí in the Corrib stand-off. “The Gardaí have bent over backwards to try to facilitate all sides of these protests,” he told The Mayo News. “Of course there is a constitutional right to protest but protests have to be peaceful. The report makes no reference to the personal abuse directed by protestors at local people going to work and also at gardaí. At times, it was anything but a peaceful protest.”
