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Fresh fuel protests caused traffic disruption across Ireland’s motorways on Monday, despite the government’s half-a-billion-euro package to address rising costs.
While blockades at fuel depots and Ireland’s only oil refinery were lifted, smaller protests continued on motorways near Dublin. A Facebook page, a source of protest information, posted conflicting messages on Sunday night, suggesting both continued action on Monday and that “all protesters and Gardai go home”.
Slow-moving convoys of large vehicles on Monday morning caused delays on motorways, including the M50 southbound, the M1 southbound in Co Louth, and the M9 at Athy, Co Kildare.
A spokesperson for the Dublin fuel protest said the protesters “achieved something small” in €505m worth of government measures announced on Sunday, but that he has “no control” over further protests.
Meanwhile, Martin Heydon, Ireland’s agriculture minister, acknowledged there was “frustration out there” and that people had been driven to protest due to “a really significant shock to their energy bills”.
Mr Heydon said that a narrative had formed on social media that the government “don’t understand” and was “not listening”, but he said they were “reacting in real-time” to the war in the Middle East.
“I would very much counter that, we are reacting in real-time, but as a government, we absolutely listen and have to respond when an awful lot of people protest – protests and blockades are two different things,” he told RTE Radio.
“I absolutely, fundamentally respect and will passionately fight for people’s right to protest and tell me they disagree with me, but when people block critical infrastructure, that is different.”
Protesters – largely led by hauliers, farmers, and agricultural workers – began distinct but coordinated action on Tuesday with slow-moving convoys and outright stoppages on major motorways, as well as blockades of critical infrastructure which had largely wound down or been disbanded by police by midday on Sunday.
A package was announced on Sunday evening for fuel-dependent workers affected by rising fuel costs triggered by the US and Israeli war in Iran and the effective shutdown by Iran of the Strait of Hormuz.
It was worth around 505 million euros, and comes on top of 250 million euros worth of measures announced almost three weeks ago.
Mr Heydon said that along with the 7.2 cent cut on excise on green diesel, he had secured a new 100 million euro subsidy scheme for high fuel users which would see a further cut of 20 cent a litre.
“Government has put 100 million euro behind us, the same way they put 140 million euro behind the package for the hauliers, at the same time as helping every citizen of the state who drives a car or who relies on the cost of white diesel,” he said.
“We now see further reductions, cumulatively now: 32 cent per litre is the reduction on diesel; 27 cent a litre is the reduction on petrol, as well as the clearing of the remaining excise on green diesel and the subsidy on top of that.”
Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary said the protesters had not won as engagement had been ongoing with farming and transport representative groups on further support before the protests began on Tuesday.
He told Raidio na Gaeltachta that the two packages announced by the Irish government were among the largest in Europe, and that the measures would have an influence on the government’s budget in October.
The seventh day of disruption on Monday comes as the government faces a motion of no confidence in the Irish parliament on Tuesday.
The main opposition party Sinn Fein is to table the motion criticising the government for not reconvening the Dail last week and not engaging directly with the protesters, while also calling on the government to take the “maximum action necessary” to cut fuel prices.
Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty criticised the government for “laughable” measures announced on Sunday, the government’s second response to fuel price rises caused by the US and Israeli war in Iran.
“Again, they come up short, and that’s why so many people are annoyed this morning,” Mr Doherty said on Monday.
“Nobody wanted to be out there. The government forced people to take the street.
“Indeed, the government made matters worse. They went from insulting people, to demeaning them, to threaten them with the army, to refuse to talk to people and try and resolve this.”
He added: “For many people, yes, it was about fuel.
“Yes, it was about petrol, diesel, home heating oil, but it was also about all of the other pressures that people are feeling – whether it’s energy costs, whether it’s groceries, whether it’s rents that continue to go up, and basically a tipping point that the government aren’t listening, that we needed something to happen in terms of (a) cost (of) living package.”
A spokesman for the protesters said they had no control over the more regional demonstrations.
“Nobody knows what the plan is, that’s being straight out there,” said John Dallon, a Kildare farmer and agriculture contractor who was at the Dublin protest.
He said he welcomed the measures on green diesel, but the government “should have done something” on kerosene.
“This protest is out of my hands, it escalated to somewhat so big, and I don’t know where it’s going to end, but it’s the government’s fault,” he told Newstalk radio on Monday.
“We achieved something small, but this is something way bigger now, and I have no control over it, and that’s exactly where I’m coming from.
“It’s gone to the stage that it seems like, looking out there, that the people of the island of Ireland have no confidence in this government anymore.”
