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Police removed and arrested protesters on Saturday to reopen Ireland’s only oil refinery as a fifth day of disruptive protests over rising fuel prices left dozens of gas pumps shut and threatened to disrupt transport across the country.
Trucks and tractors continued to block access to key fuel depots and the main port, and traffic jams led to the closure of part of the main road around Dublin, the capital, and parts of other major roads.
The Irish Police Commissioner, Justin Kelly, said law enforcement would be stepped up because protesters were illegally blocking critical infrastructure and putting public safety at risk because of the impact gas shortages could have on emergency services and firefighters.
“These are blockades. It’s not a legal form of protest,” Kelly said. “We gave the protesters a fair warning that we are starting to enforce the law and they chose to ignore it and continue to hold the country to ransom.”
The protests demand a reduction in the price of fuel
Government officials and negotiators said progress was made in Saturday’s talks to resolve the dispute.
Ger Hyland, president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, which represents some of the protesters, said he sympathized with their plight.
“They are businessmen who work hard, they are just trying to make a living and keep their business running smoothly, just like the rest of us who are present at these discussions,” he said.
The protests started on Tuesday and grew as the news spread on social media, which led truck drivers, farmers and taxi and bus drivers to block and ask for lower fuel prices or lower taxes.
Government officials, who have introduced measures to reduce the burden of rising prices, are confused about the reason for the protests because the rise in world prices is due to the conflict in the Middle East that has imposed restrictions on oil exports.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said on Friday that the country is on the brink of turning tankers into ports during a global shortage and is at risk of losing its oil.
“It doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t make sense, it’s hard to understand,” Martin told national broadcaster RTE.
Plumber Paddy Murray said he joined the protest outside the port in Rosslare because he had paid tax all his life and was looking for the government to help him with living expenses.
“We can’t continue to do business with the cost of fuel, the cost of wages, and everything,” Murray told RTE. “We need someone to help. This is the government here to represent us. You know, do your job. We’re the hardworking guys who keep everything going. We’re the hardworking guys who pay the taxes.”
No gas at the pumps
More than a third of the 1,500 garages ran out of fuel on Saturday and that number was expected to increase significantly if roadblocks remained in place, said Fuels for Ireland chief executive Kevin McPartlan.
The reopening of the Whitegate refinery in County Cork will help restore some service.
At noon, police vans from the civil protection unit entered the refinery to remove the protesters as the military stood by to help. The police used pepper spray, and a video on RTE showed several policemen dragging the protester to a tractor.
The police said that people were arrested but did not release the numbers of those arrested.
It was accompanied by a convoy of seven trucks that carry fuel from different companies to load and then be seen leaving. Another police video shows tanker trucks leaving the Foynes Port petrol station in Limerick after protesters let them go.
In the past two weeks, the government has approved a number of measures to reduce fuel prices, including a temporary reduction in the excise duty on motor fuel, an extension of the discount for truck drivers and bus drivers who use diesel fuel, and the extension of a program that helps low-income people with their heating costs.
But that was quickly cut back as world prices continued to rise.
Rory Johnston, the founder of Commodity Context, says that the pressure in the world economy gives Iran the strength to demand security guarantees from the US Johnston and says that the drop in the price of commodities such as oil and gas will be delayed even after the flow of ships in the Strait of Hormuz returns to normal.
The protests began with slow boats blocking access to some of Dublin’s busiest roads and shutting down petrol depots that supply part of the country. Some protesters slept in their cars all night, demanding that government representatives speak to them.
People took to the streets of Dublin in support of Saturday’s protest and bulldozers were moving slowly through the streets of Cork.
Protesters also blocked the road to Rosslare Europort, a major port of entry for cargo and passenger ships in Wexford, and goods stranded there. The port will reach capacity on Sunday, Harbor Master Tom Curran told RTE.
