Irish fuel price protest enters fourth day after army called in

Protests across Ireland are entering their fourth day over rising fuel prices, a day after the authorities requested army assistance after protesters have blocked key fuel depots and ports, causing disruptions to petrol, diesel and essential supplies.

On Thursday, the Irish government requested support from the armed forces to remove vehicles obstructing access to fuel depots and strategic ports, as protests over rising fuel prices entered their third day. The announcement was made by the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan. “Blocking critical national infrastructure will not be allowed to continue, and assistance from the Defence Forces has been requested,” the minister said in a statement.

Later that evening, in the village of Kilrane, the Gardaí warned protesters that they must leave the area, and that failure to do so “in a peaceful and orderly manner” would result in their “possible” arrest and sentencing to a fine of €1,000 or six months’ imprisonment. The protesters, for their part, retorted: “The people of Ireland say ‘no’.”

For the time being, the Defence Forces are currently on standby to assist with the removal of heavy vehicles involved in blocking critical infrastructure.

The protests, organised by haulage firms and agricultural businesses, have involved slow-moving convoys on motorways and the blocking of major routes in Dublin. The protesters also cut off access to the key ports of Foynes and Whitegate, with the latter being home to Ireland’s only oil refinery, which supplies around a third of the country’s oil needs. On the fourth day of the protests, further disruption to public transport and traffic is expected.

The government to meet with representative bodies on Friday

Neilus O’Connor, a farm contractor taking part in the protest in Foynes (County Limerick), has said that representatives of the protesters will meet today with government officials Timmy Dooley and Martin Haydon.

“I’ve heard this morning that there has been engagement from Government and that one of our representative bodies was meeting Timmy Dooley and the Minister for Agriculture at Government Buildings today it happens,” he said on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland. “That’s what I was told into the early hours of the morning.” O’Connor said that the protesters were “very clear” in their actions.

“We’re very clear in what we’re doing, very clear. It couldn’t be more clearer from day one since we started the protest.”

Defence Minister Helen McEntee stated that on Friday 10 April, the government would meet with the representative bodies with whom they have been engaging over the past few weeks. McEntee noted that the meeting would involve around seven associations, and that these are the bodies that have been engaging with various ministers since late February.

Regarding the deployment of the army to the protest, she said they were there to assist the gardaí if needed. She said that yesterday morning the Gardaí filed a C70 form, adding that “what happens after that is an operational matter for the Gardaí.” McEntee also said the Government is trying to resolve the issue of fuel costs by engaging with representative associations that speak on behalf of their members.

Minister for Rural Community Development Dara Calleary has said that the Government is “not dictating” who can attend today’s meeting on rising fuel costs.

“We’re meeting with representative organisations that represent farmers, coal miners and contractors who are protesting. The farm organisations alone will represent up to 90,000 farmers,” he said on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, adding: “We’re not dictating who can attend that meeting from the farming organisations. Certainly, if protesters come representing the farming organisations, we’re not dictating that they can’t come.”

Major organisations such as the IFA, the Irish Road Haulage Association and Farm Contractors Ireland, whose representatives will be attending the meeting, have not officially endorsed the protests.

Calleary also noted that the focus of this meeting is to resolve the disputes and that ending the blockades is the most important thing. Calleary said that “the focus of the mission is that we get a resolution to the blockades. We can’t have a situation where we have enough fuel in the country and that fuel isn’t getting to our citizens.”

Despite this, she emphasised the Government of the Republic of Ireland “cannot meet with groups who are preventing fuel from reaching communities and farmers.”

Earlier, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the blockade of fuel depots and the refinery as “an act of national sabotage.” Martin stressed that petrol stations are running low on both diesel and petrol, meanwhile the national water utility has warned of potential shortages of imported chemicals used in water treatment.

Senior officials appealed to the protesters to call off their action, stating their concerns had been heard and the protest had now gone “too far.”

Fuel prices have surged amid escalating conflict involving Iran and disruptions to supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Prices have risen to around €2.14 (£1.86) per litre for diesel and around €1.91 (£1.66) per litre for petrol, with prices higher in some areas.

Roads remain blockaded, public discontent on the rise

Transport Infrastructure Ireland said in a statement roads are closed on several motorways across the country due to protests. TII added that “There is significant disruption across the national road/motorway network currently affecting Counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Cork, and Dublin.”

As of 10 April, in Dublin, O’Connell Street, O’Connell Bridge and the M50 motorway are closed. Outside Dublin, numerous motorways and national roads are closed, including the M1, M7 and M8 motorways, the M18/N18, M6/N6, M4/N4 and M9 roads.

The protests have also stirred up local residents, some of whom have spoken out against the protests and road blockades, stating that as long as the tractors and lorries have fuel, they should go home. However, the organisers and the protesters themselves believe that their protest is fighting for the whole of Ireland. O’Connor said that he felt the blockades at Foynes Port had been “fair.” “We are here for the general good of everyone,” he said.

As the protest enters its fourth day, tensions are on the rise, particularly regarding access to medical care for patients from vulnerable groups. Professor John Crown said: “It never dawned on me that so many of my cancer patients who suffered delays getting to hospital due to the protests had been personally responsible for the global energy crisis.”

In the meantime, the protests have also caused significant damage to households. Fuel supplies to an increasing number of households are at risk of running out as the multi-day blockade of major supply depots continues.

The Irish Government stated that it is aware of the pressure on the cost of living resulting from the war in the Middle East, and senior ministers have said the protesters’ concerns have been heard. Two and a half weeks ago, the government signed off on a €250 million package of measures to reduce fuel costs, including a temporary reduction in excise duty on motor fuel, an extension of the diesel discount scheme for hauliers and bus operators, and an extension of the fuel allowance. This effectively amounted to a reduction of 17 cents for petrol, 22 cents for diesel and five cents for green diesel, but the savings were largely eroded as the conflict continued.