‘We will not tolerate this any longer’: Irish police to step up enforcement
The head of Ireland’s police service has vowed to step up enforcement against fuel-cost protesters blocking critical infrastructure.
It comes as the Government pitched a support package to representatives of the transport and agriculture sectors aimed at defusing the protests by assisting affected businesses.
Justin Kelly, the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana, said illegal activity by fuel protesters is “endangering the State”.
He was speaking after the Public Order Unit cleared a blockade of the country’s only oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork, in a major operation which resulted in fuel tankers being able to access the site after a days-long blockade.
The reopening of Whitegate will alleviate some concerns about the country’s filling stations running completely dry after days of blockades at the Cork facility, as well as depots in Limerick and Galway, strangled the fuel distribution network.
There have also been concerns about fuel shortages leading to the curtailment of emergency services and the delivery of vital goods, while the National Emergency Co-ordination Group urged people to only buy the fuel they need.
The blockades are part of nationwide protests by hauliers, farmers and agricultural contractors who are urging the Government to take action to reduce fuel costs which they say are at unsustainable levels and will lead to people going out of business.
Participants say the Government needs to take urgent action on fuel prices or they will go out of business.
It is understood the Department of Transport is working on plans for a transport support scheme that would see direct payments to businesses in the sectors affected by high fuel costs.
A senior source said the scheme will be part of a broader package on the fuel crisis.
The operation to secure the Whitegate refinery took approximately an hour and saw some physical clashes between the Public Order Unit and protesters, including instances where pepper spray was used.
Members of the Defence Forces were also at the scene as the Irish police service, An Garda Siochana, had requested the availability of a military heavy-lift recovery truck if it needed to tow any of the large tractors or trucks involved in the blockade.
Gardai escorted the fuel trucks to the premises.
With other protests still restricting entry to fuel depots in Galway and Foynes, Co Limerick, Mr Kelly said the public would “certainly see increased enforcement in the coming hours and days”.
The Commissioner said: “Some people have decided to escalate an already difficult situation by blockading critical national infrastructure such as fuel depots and refineries.
“This has resulted in fuel shortages that are directly impacting on emergency services such as hospitals, the ambulance service, and the fire service, as well as businesses and the general public.
“These are blockades. They are not a legitimate form of protest.”
An Garda Siochana had internally declared an “exceptional event”, enabling the large-scale response by allowing it to designate every member as available for duty over the weekend.
Mr Kelly said: “We gave the blockaders fair warning that we were moving to enforcement and they choose to ignore it and continue to hold the country to ransom.”
He said he was “completely satisfied with the level of force used” in clearing a blockade of Whitegate oil refinery, after scenes of clashes with protesters and the use of pepper spray.
Asked if gardai encountered co-operation at Whitegate oil refinery, Mr Kelly said: “I certainly would not view the actions of the people, the blockaders in Whitegate as co-operation.”
Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Sean Canney held talks with industry representatives on Friday and Saturday.
The engagements included the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA), the Freight Transport Association of Ireland, and the Coach Tourism & Transport Council of Ireland.
IRHA president Ger Hyland said there were “the bones of an agreement” with the Government, adding that he hoped the “substantial package”, understood to include the direct payment scheme, would be agreed either late on Saturday or on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters before briefing the Taoiseach on the talks, Mr O’Brien said: “We want to get an agreement, we want to support businesses and individuals through this difficult time, and we want the protest to end.”
Concurrent talks were held online between the Department of Agriculture and groups such as the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association and the Irish Farmers Association.
The recognised bodies in the Government meetings are not responsible for organising the distinct protests around the country but are also working to secure reductions in operating costs.
Protesters had sought their own engagements with the Government and expressed anger at being excluded from the talks.
The protests have also seen slow-moving convoys and outright stoppages on the motorway network as well as the establishment of a large blockade on Dublin city’s main thoroughfare, O’Connell Street.
The development at Whitegate came after Fuels for Ireland chief executive Kevin McPartlan said around 600 of the 1,500 filling stations around the Republic of Ireland had run dry on Saturday morning.
He had predicted that the number “would grow quite dramatically” if the blockades on Whitegate, Galway and Foynes, Co Limerick, continued.
Elsewhere, Rosslare Europort was expected to hit capacity by Sunday evening or Monday morning.
Operations at the port, run by Irish Rail, have been affected by a blockade of fuel protesters in the nearby town of Kilrane, Co Wexford.
A spokesperson for Irish Rail said the port will soon be at capacity and will not be able to take in any more freight – resulting in ships having to wait on anchor or be diverted to another port if possible.
Blockades have resulted in full closures of parts of the M50 ring road around Dublin, as well as the M4, M6, M7, M8, M9 and M20.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland, which is responsible for motorways, said there is “significant disruption” to its network affecting counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Cork, and Dublin.
It said it was working closely with gardai in managing traffic distribution.
Police in Northern Ireland said they were “maintaining an ongoing assessment” in relation to social media posts calling for similar planned protests there.
A PSNI spokeswoman said: “A policing response has been prepared, if needed, to ensure public safety and to help minimise any potential disruption to the wider community.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub