Overview
- The nationwide blockades, now in their fourth day Friday, continue at Whitegate refinery and depots in Galway and Foynes as gardai attend the Cork site.
- An Garda Síochána, which moved to an enforcement phase Thursday, has warned protesters they face arrest as the Defence Forces stay on standby with heavy tow trucks.
- Fuel suppliers report panic buying and say forecourts that ran dry are in the low double digits, with more shortages expected if blockades hold.
- Ireland’s emergency planners and the HSE say the disruption risks fuel for emergency vehicles and could delay time‑critical medicines, dialysis and cancer care.
- Ministers will meet recognised farm and haulage groups Friday after declining direct talks with protesters, whose diffuse movement has added demands such as a fuel price cap, scrapping green‑diesel carbon tax and restarting west‑coast oil exploration.