Irish police push back fuel protesters at oil refinery

Demonstrations due to high prices caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran are affecting traffic on several roads. Fuel protests: Irish police push back fuel protesters at oil refinery Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Tractors have been used to block routes across the country A large red tractor from behind - a white placard with red paint sits between the back wheels. The paint reads "No fuel no food". The tractor sits in O'Connell Street in Dublin. Irish police push back fuel protesters at oil refinery Protesters at an oil refinery in the Republic of Ireland have been pushed back by gardaí (police) using pepper spray, in an operation supported by the Irish Defence Forces. The protesters have been blockading Whitegate Refinery in County Cork as part of demonstrations across the country against high fuel prices. Gardaí moved in to gain entry to the oil refinery and said an operation was ongoing "to ensure critical supplies of fuel to maintain critical emergency public services, including ambulance and fire services". Hundreds of petrol stations in the country have run out of fuel as the protests - involving slow-moving convoys made up of vehicles including tractors - continue for a fifth day Blockades at fuel depots in counties Limerick and Galway are continuing. Footage posted by gardaí on Saturday afternoon showed them escorting oil tankers leaving Whitegate after they restored access to the refinery. showed them escorting oil tankers leaving Whitegate after they restored access to the refinery. Fuels for Ireland, which represents companies that import, distribute, and sell fuel, said that it hoped to be able to get more than 20 oil trucks into the refinery on Saturday, including seven which access it earlier. It earlier warned two-thirds of petrol stations in Ireland would be out of stock by the end of Saturday if the blockades at the fuel-storage facilities continued. The Irish government confirmed a fuel support package was being finalised after what it described as "constructive engagement" with representatives of the haulage and farming sectors. a fuel support package was being finalised after what it described as "constructive engagement" with representatives of the haulage and farming sectors. The package will include a temporary Fuel Support Scheme aimed at the haulage, agri-business and contractor sectors. Meetings between government ministers and representatives of farmers and hauliers to finalise a new government package of fuel supports are taking place on Saturday. The blockade of parts of Dublin city centre is continuing, with O'Connell Street and South Quay closed to traffic. A blockade on the M50, with parts of the road closed The M7 at Portlaoise is blocked in both directions On the M8, at Cashel south, there is a blockage northbound Road blocks are reported in Monaghan town and on the N2 bypass, on the M18/N18 in County Clare, and the M20/N20, between Patrickswell and Raheen in County Limerick Hundreds of forecourts have run out of petrol and diesel due to the protests Bollards and tape block a Circle K's fuel pumps There has been a warning that ships could soon be turned away from Rosslare Europort in County Wexford due to capacity issues. Protesters have set up a blockade at the nearby village of Kilrane about a mile from the port. A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) said the situation could come to a head late on Sunday night or early on Monday morning Public transport has also been affected, with some services suspended and major disruption in Dublin. Bus Éireann said it would try to serve Dublin Airport passengers where possible, while people travelling to Shannon and Dublin Airports are advised to allow extra time. An Garda Síochána (the Irish police service), has declared an "exceptional event" in response to the fuel protests, allowing it to double the number of officers available to work. Meanwhile, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said it was assessing social media posts calling for planned protests and had prepared a response to minimise disruption and ensure public safety. Northern Ireland's Department for Infrastructure advised people to allow extra time for their journeys should protests go ahead. Protesters listen to speeches on Dublin's O'Connell Street on Saturday A crowd, several of them waving Irish Tricolour flags stand in O;Connell Street in Dublin. Two lorries are visible in the midst of the crowd On Friday, Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) and Finance Minister Simon Harris said that there would be a "substantial and significant" package of support for "key sectors of the economy". Harris said talks were "going well", adding that further "intensive engagement" into the weekend was likely. However, he added: "The blockade has to end." Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said the blockades meant the country was "on the precipice of turning oil away from the country" during a global oil supply crisis. Speaking in Dublin on Saturday, Mary Lou McDonald the leader of Sinn Féin, said the Irish Government had allowed a "difficult situation" to escalate and urged it to engage with protesters to negotiate an end to the blockades. On Friday, there were long queues on the M1, heading towards the border with Northern Ireland, due to protesters closing the motorway at Dundalk, with vehicles blocking both lanes at the Carlingford turnoff. The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG), which brings together government departments and state agencies to coordinate emergency response, said fuel supplies for emergency response vehicles, including the ambulance service and fire service, are under "increasing pressure". The conflict in the Middle East has caused rapid price rises for both petrol and diesel. Some 20% of the world's oil trade, the raw ingredient for producing both petrol and diesel, has been halted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Some 20% of the world's oil trade, the raw ingredient for producing both petrol and diesel, has been halted by the Diesel in the Republic of Ireland has risen from about €1.70 (£1.48) a litre to €2.17 (£1.89) on many forecourts in recent weeks and petrol is now up to 25 cents more per litre at many pumps. The protests started on Tuesday morning. A small protest is also underway in Strabane, County Tyrone A number of vehicles are sitting bumper to bumber on a road. There is a silver stretch limo, a camper van, some black cars and a blue transit van. Meanwhile in Northern Ireland a protest is also underway in Strabane, County Tyrone. Organisers say they are standing in solidarity with those who are protesting in the Republic of Ireland. A convoy of vans, lorries, tractors, and even a limousine, are taking part in a 'go-slow' around the town centre. One vehicle recovery owner told BBC News NI that his fuel bill increased by more than £5,000 in the past month and he would be taking his lorries off the road from today. A large lorry with Irish flags attached to the front is parked in a busy street. There are men gathered around. Behind it are Garda (Irish police) cars. Irish government finalising fuel package deal A very busy main road. There is a traffic jam on the road going in the direction toward the camera. On the side of the road going away from the camera, traffic is minimal. People can be seen walking on the heavy traffic side with suit cases. People walk along motorway towards Dublin Airport as fuel protests continue Truck driver Sonny Boyd is wearing a high-vis vest and a black hoodie. He has short hair and stubble. He is standing near a red truck with an Irish flag. Some people behind him on the street are blurred Protesters call for fuel price cap as slow-moving convoys caused delays Travel across parts of the Republic of Ireland was affected for the fourth day in a row as vehicles, including tractors, blocked roads. The remains of 69 infants have now been found in an ongoing dig at the former mother and baby home site in the Republic of Ireland. The Irish military will be deployed to move vehicles "blocking critical infrastructure". BBC Middle East Correspondent Hugo Bachega hears from people affected by this week's attacks. Airports Council International (ACI) Europe said its members had "increasing concerns" about the availability of jet fuel. Christopher Kennedy-Barnard says he did not realise until he returned to land and saw missiles. Planet Labs says it is restricting coverage of Iran and parts of the Middle East indefinitely. Face-to-face talks would mark the highest-level engagement between Iran and the US since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.