Fuel protesters add to demands amid confusion over ‘breakthrough’ meeting

Fuel protesters have added to their demands to lift disruptive demonstrations across Ireland amid confusion over a crucial government meeting.

A spokesman for the demonstrators said that protests would continue, but they are letting “more fuel” out on Friday – as some Irish forecourts risked running dry after days-long blockades of major supply depots.

Hauliers and agricultural contractors began a series of protests on Tuesday, which have grown from slow-moving convoys on motorways and restricted access to Dublin’s busiest streets, to blockades of fuel depots that supply half the country.

The protesters want the Government to commit to further action to combat rising fuel prices triggered by the war in Iran.

They have restricted access to Ireland’s only oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork, as well as fuel depots in Galway City and Foynes, Co Limerick.

It has raised concern over panic buying at forecourts, some of which have run out of fuel, as well as impacts on emergency services and deliveries of key supplies for animal welfare on farms.

Government leaders have condemned the protests as “wrong” and “not in our national interest”, and said the fuel blockades were holding the country to “ransom”.

Defence minister Helen McEntee said that the Irish army “remain on standby” to help the police clear tractors and heavy vehicles from blockades, while justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said protesters were being “manipulated” by “outside actors”.

They have said they cannot engage with disparate groups carrying out protests, and encouraged them to engage with existing representative groups.

A meeting between several ministers and 10 farming, haulier and business groups is to take place on Friday afternoon.

Although it is understood there are no fuel protesters on the list of attendees, protesters have suggested they were invited to the “breakthrough” meeting.

Fuel protest spokesman James Geoghegan said Fianna Fail TD for Galway West John Connelly invited them to attend on Friday, and that he, another fuel protester spokesman, John Dallon, and a group of protesters from Galway would attend.

Mr Connelly rang into Newstalk radio while on a train to say he had not invited him to the meeting, and that he had advised them to talk to the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA), which is among the groups the meeting with government on Friday.

Mr Geoghegan said that even if a meeting is held, the protest would continue on Friday despite their pledge to call off demonstrations if the government agreed to meet them.

The protesters had also added to their list of demands: along with the removal of the carbon tax from green diesel and the price of fuel to be capped, they want oil exploration off the west coast of Ireland to begin and the Irish parliament to be recalled on Friday.

“One of the main demands is that the laws that (former Green Party leader and minister) Eamon Ryan passed to close down any exploration of oil off the west coast of Ireland,” Mr Geoghegan told Newstalk.

“Because we have been contacted by exploration companies who have told us how much oil is off the west coast of Ireland, and it was Eamon Ryan who knocked it on the head, that has to be looked at again now, and revisited for the good of the nation.

“There’s not much point in Eamon Ryan talking about being environment friendly and we’re waiting for oil to come up from the Strait of Hormuz for six weeks and we have an ocean of it off the west coast of Ireland.”

He added: “We will be looking for the Dail to be recalled this evening or tonight. It has to be rubber stamped.”

Asked about whether the protest would be lifted if there is a meeting, he said: “It’s not over yet for the simple reason we don’t trust the government at this stage.

“We had several meetings yesterday, we had several meetings during the night, we had several meetings this morning – I got, I think, two hours sleep last night – and the word coming back from the ground is after the way (Taoiseach) Micheal Martin disrespected everyone, he is not to be trusted ever again.

“We have actually reduced the protest, we are allowing out more fuel today, we have lifted some of the blockades off the ports.

“We pulled back last night off O’Connell Street, we opened up the quays last night, we let the traffic flow to the docks last night and literally hundreds of lorries flowed in last night.”

Ger Hyland, president of the IRHA, has offered to act as an “honest broker” between protesters and government.

He said he had been in contact with the protesters “through intermediaries” and is available to meet some of the protesters before the meeting and bring their concerns with us into government.

The widespread fuel protests are into their fourth day, with demonstrators facing a reaction from the Irish police service, An Garda Siochana, which said it was entering an “enforcement” phase of its response – accompanied by support from the military.

Social media footage late on Thursday showed gardai warning protesters they could be arrested if they did not peacefully disperse from an area near Rosslare Europort in Co Wexford.

Gardai posted on social media on Friday morning and said “critical deliveries” left the port overnight after “positive and constructive engagement with local protesters” during the fuel demonstrations.

Ms McEntee said the Defence Forces “remain on standby” to assist the police in clearing heavy vehicles from the blockades “if they are needed”.

A leading industry representative warned that the number of forecourts running dry would get “much, much worse” from Thursday evening’s position of affected service stations being in the “low double digits”.

Fuels For Ireland chief executive Kevin McPartlan said “panic buying has absolutely taken hold” and warned that “real significant life-death problems are going to be caused” with fuel supplies to emergency service vehicles under threat.

Ireland’s emergency planning group echoed the comments with “serious concern”, saying there may be an impacts on availability for some vital services, supply chains and public transport.

The National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) said Ireland’s overall fuel supplies remain “robust and resilient” but said the obstruction of key routes from ports is threatening the provision of animal feed supplies, fertiliser and other vital materials, resulting in potential animal welfare issues and a threat to livelihoods in the agriculture sector.

Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) said the disruption is causing people to miss medical appointments and is impacting the provision of home care and critical care, such as dialysis and cancer treatment.

The HSE also warned that the blockades could disrupt the time-sensitive delivery of key medicines and medical devices.