Fuel protests wind down
Fuel protests around the country have effectively ended following almost a week of disruptions.
A number of arrests have been made by gardaí.
On Saturday 11 April, a man driving a tractor with a slurry tank was arrested as he moved towards the Whitegate Oil Refinery.
Gardaí said that the man did not stop at a checkpoint when directed to by gardaí, who pursued with sirens. “The tractor began driving erratically, swerving into the opposite direction in an effort to get away from gardaí and endangering other road users,” said a garda spokesperson.
They said that the tractor was stopped and a man in his 20s was arrested.
In Cork, gardaí arrested five people at a demonstration in Grand Parade on Sunday 12 April.
Four men - two in their 50s, one in his 40s, and one in his 30s - and one woman in her 40s - were arrested for public order offences and taken to a Garda station in Cork city.
They are set to appear before Cork District Court in a number of weeks.
Government package
On Sunday 12 April, the Government announced a package costed at €505 million following days of engagement with representatives from different groups, including the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA).
An extension to the cut of excise duty on petrol and diesel has been announced - which will be reduced by a further 10c - as well as a delay to the carbon tax increase until the budget in October.
The handling of the crisis by the Government has come under criticism from the opposition. However, a motion of confidence in the Government was passed in the Dáil on Tuesday 14 April, despite the defection of Junior Minister Michael Healy-Rae.
No organisers of the protest officially met with Government, which said that it would only meet with elected representatives of recognised bodies.
Representative groups consistently distanced themselves from the protests and blockades, stressing that they had no hand in organising them.
They have also denounced calls for further demonstrations following the announcement of the Government’s support package.
The Coach Tourism and Transport Council of Ireland (CTTC) said they were “not involved in, and is not party to, any proposed strick action by bus and coach operators”.
“We believe it is important that the sector’s concerns continue to be addressed through structured dialogue with those in a position to make decisions, and that remains the basis on which the CTTC will continue to operate,” said a spokesperson.
A number of demonstrators, including spokesperson Christopher Duffy, have called for demonstrations to continue after the announcement of the government package.
On Monday 13 April, he called for a national day of strike action.
However, the majority of demonstrations on Monday consisted of go-slow protests on roads outside of cities. Calls for general strike action have also come from a number of figures on the far-right.
Cork-based far-right activist Derek Blighe called for the action on his Facebook account, but it failed to materialise.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan went so far as to say that demonstrators were being “manipulated” by the far-right, such as by English far-right agitator Christopher Yaxley Lennon - who goes by the moniker Tommy Robinson - the leader of the English Defence League.
Lennon has been vocal in his support of the protests, and has called for similar actions in the UK.
Fuel supplies
Fuel supplies across the country have yet to be fully restored following blockades at fuel stores in Munster and Connacht.
On 8 April, demonstrators in Cork blockaded the Whitegate Oil Refinery, preventing trucks from collecting fuel for the supply of petrol stations.
Similar blockades were set up at Foynes, Co. Limerick, and the Galway Port. Gardaí at Whitegate initially engaged with protestors, and reached a deal on Thursday 9 April, to allow trucks to enter to retrieve kerosene, and one load of white diesel each for emergency services. However, gardaí refused to allow the road to be closed again after these trucks entered, which caused a stand-off with demonstrators.
On Saturday 11 April, gardaí escalated their response and deployed a large number of Public Order Unit officers to Whitegate, who clashed with protestors.
Gardaí cleared the blockade in place and began to escort fuel trucks into the site. Another operation by the Public Order Unit took place at Galway Port on the morning of Sunday 12 April, and gardaí also took back control of the site there. The demonstrators at Foynes ended their blockade without incident. Fuel supply is still disrupted as a result of the blockades. This disruption may also affect the application of the new excise cuts.
Fuel for Ireland, the representative body for forecourts in Ireland, said that as excise duty is charged when fuel leaves the refinery or terminal, rather than when it arrives at the petrol station, it may take between 48 to 72 hours for the new excise rate to take effect.