Ruptly
"Access to Ireland’s only oil refinery, Whitegate refinery in County Cork, has been restored after protesters blocked it on Saturday, April 11, as the country suffers an acute fuel shortage. Footage shows police officers securing the area while barriers were installed on the local roads. Several tractors are seen being loaded onto towing trucks. "It got a bit exciting when the guards and all the other guys showed up. There were a lot of heavies who came in out of nowhere, I suppose," one of the protesters, crane truck driver Mark O’Connell, commented. Another protester, who claimed to be a general registered nurse, accused police of violent treatment to protest participants, including a minor. "Approximately 18 people were pepper sprayed, 11 to 12 of whom were treated personally, including a 14-year-old child. A 14-year-old male child and his father were pepper sprayed because of their right to assemble, to protest and to try to stand up for this country," he stated, adding, "I'm only thankful I was here just to give them a hand and be there at the time." The refinery blockage is a part of a series of protests that have erupted across the country amid skyrocketing energy prices due to fuel shortages. Around 600 of the 1,500 filling stations nationwide have run dry, with a situation likely to worsen with ongoing roadblocks, according to Fuels for Ireland chief executive Kevin McPartlan. "It's a bad state of affairs when it does get to this. No one here wants to be shutting down the country or making people suffer. But if that's the only option they're left with, there's not a whole lot else they can do," protester Shane Morris commented. "We have trucks at home, and we're running our own business just literally to the expense. And the cost of everything has just gotten too much. And we had no choice," Morris added. The price spike has engulfed the world after the Middle East broke out, triggering the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20 per cent of global oil and LNG, closure. The United States and Iran have reached a conditional two-week ceasefire agreement, ahead of a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for a broader understanding that includes the reopening of the strategic strait. However, Washington and Tehran failed to reach an agreement in high-stakes peace negotiations in Islamabad. US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, declared that they have left the 'final and best offer' on the table, noting that a no-deal will be 'bad news for Iran'."
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