Ireland deploys army to disperse protesters blocking key ports
Kyiv • UNN
Authorities used military equipment to remove trucks and tractors from Foynes and Whitegate ports. Protesters are demanding lower fuel taxes.
On Thursday, the Irish government deployed the army to remove trucks and tractors currently blocking key ports used for importing fuel and critical chemicals into the country, UNN reports with reference to Politico.
Details
Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan announced the move after two days of round-the-clock blockades by hauliers and farmers unhappy with the sharp rise in motor fuel prices.
The protesters, who are operating locally and apparently have no single leader, are coordinating their actions on social media and say they will continue to block key roads until the government agrees to increase existing emergency tax breaks on petrol and diesel, introduced after the start of US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the government was reluctant to send soldiers onto the streets and wanted to avoid clashes with protesters, but had no choice when they blocked access to the key ports of Foynes and Whitegate on Wednesday.
The publication notes that Foynes in County Limerick is a deep-water port at the mouth of Ireland's largest river, the Shannon, which is critical to many industries. Whitegate, County Cork, is home to Ireland's only oil refinery, which imports a third of all water supplies to the country.
Martin said that retail filling stations were running out of diesel and petrol, and the Irish water company Uisce Éireann was already warning of a halt in the supply of imported chemicals for water treatment.
"This is a significant risk to the security of public water supply and the protection of public health," Martin told RTÉ radio as a convoy of army vehicles headed for Foynes. "This is unacceptable. It cannot continue."
Protesters have been blocking major motorways and road junctions across the country since Tuesday, starting with Dublin's key central thoroughfare, O'Connell Street. But Martin suggested that restoring traffic on motorways and in Dublin would be a lower priority than at the ports.
"We are a trading nation. We export 90 percent of what we produce. Why, for God's sake, are people blocking our ports?" he said.
Martin rejected the protesters' demands for a meeting, saying they did not represent any industry organization and were trying to blackmail the government. He said this would set a dangerous precedent, especially given that the government had already cut petrol and diesel taxes by 15 and 20 cents per litre respectively last month.
Addendum
The centre-right government's refusal to meet with protesters and its decision to instead deploy the army drew condemnation from opposition leaders across the political spectrum. The main opposition party, Sinn Féin, which is pushing for a more significant reduction in fuel taxes, is demanding that parliament be recalled from its current three-week Easter recess.
It is important to note that the Irish Defence Forces have a mixed fleet of Swedish and Italian heavy-duty vehicles designed to lift and transport heavy armoured vehicles. These are expected to be used to evacuate protesting vehicles from the roads if they are not voluntarily removed.
O'Callaghan, the Justice Minister, said that truck drivers or farmers who do not comply with police orders "should not subsequently complain about any damage caused to these vehicles during evacuation."