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The Saker Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.
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garda/Brennan lie about Shannon incident national |
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news report
 Monday February 03, 2003 17:48 by Aoife Ni Fhearghail - personal aoifenf at yahoo dot co dot uk D88 087 7955013
 According to an Ireland.com report (below) a Garda spokesman said this afternoon no officer was injured or hospitalised in the Shannon incident - despite what government ministers are saying. The government will no doubt try any trick to try and split the anti-war movement in the run-up to Feb 15 (like in the UK banning the Feb 15th march from assembling in Hyde Park). Congratulations guys on disarming part of the murder machine. Government considers army to protect Shannon The Government is considering ordering the army to provide security at Shannon Airport following an embarrassing third security breach in which a US military plane was damaged. Security at the airport was heightened last week after a female peace activist caused an estimated €500,000 damage to a US Navy plane. She struck the plane with a hatchet, causing damage to the nose wheel, and electric systems at the front of the plane. This same plane was damaged early this morning when five members of the Catholic Worker group, a pacifist organisation campaigning against war in Iraq, broke into a hanger at Shannon. A garda was on duty at the hanger but was briefly overpowered before reinforcements arrived and the group was arrested. Asked about the incident this morning, the Taoiseach Mr Ahern said security breaches at Shannon threatened refueling contracts which contribute significantly to the airport's revenue. "Refueling is 40 per cent of the business of Shannon, it is the economy of Shannon. And that is not just American alone, that's the whole business. And there is a real danger we could lose that and that would be devastating for Shannon all because a group of people want to engage a malicious attack," he said. He added: "Peaceful protest is one thing, there is no difficulty with that. This is not peaceful protest. It is a very serious situation". Mr Ahern added: "I think we are beginning to see that maybe we were a bit over-tolerant with peaceful protesters who are not one bit peaceful, carrying axes and hammers and lump-hammers. That has to be reviewed". The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, who had said on Friday the lessons of previous security breaches had been learned, today promised that any request for military assistance from the Garda Commissioner "would be considered very urgently". Mr Brennan told RTÉ radio he has instructed Aer Rianta to make sure the airport police are on full alert and the Garda is on full alert. "The perimeter of Shannon Airport is seven miles. Protecting seven miles is a hard thing to do but it will be done, if necessary, with the army. "The blame here, and the fault here and the people who have questions to answer are small minority of peaceful [sic] protesters who attack the police force of our own State. They went and challenged a garda. The garda ended up in hospital doing his duty," he said. But a Garda spokesman said this afternoon no officer was injured or hospitalised in the Shannon incident. © 2003 ireland.com |
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Comments (10 of 10)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10If the Garda was indeed 'overpowered' then the activists should be charged with assault or another appropriate charge and the matter should be dealt with in court.
But if the Garda wasn't 'overpowered' then the Garda press office should be publically exposed, not for spinning, but for lying, and there should be discussion about why this dissinformation/lie was repeated so widely.
Perhaps the best way of doing this would be for the Catholic Worker activists to go after the Garda press office, RTE, the Irish Times and other publishers for damages.
Either way, this should be dealt with in court.
The Official Garda Spokesperson, interviewed on the wireless at lunchtime, said that "A Garda was in hospital" as a result of the incident. It was no doubt entirely unintentional that his choice of words might have given the impression, without actually saying so, that the Garda was injured or was being treated for something or other.
bjg
All this does not predict a happy outcome for the 15th. Are we going to get more baton charges and pepper spray happy thugs? The last thing we need is a stand off between the police and any protesters, of any shade come the 15th.
Conor Cregan was speaking with Ciaron O'Reilly in Shannon Garda Station at around 10.30 today
Ciaron confirmed to Conor that thy had indeed met met a Guard who, rather than being overpowered, had had a kind of
stress/panic reaction to their presence and had become upset....
Full report at:
http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=26658&start=20
The worst thing to occur as a result of this commendable action is the condemnations and backstabbing from the Greens and the NGO peace alliance.
Everyones protest is legitimate and some quite frankly more effective than others.
I'll be in Dublin on Feb 15th but I know that only direct action at Shannon will get results. I will not however denounce the liberals for not being willing to do DA
Since when is a 737 a murder machine - where are the weapons located on it - is it meant to land on iraqi's or something and hit them on the head.
Fair dues to getting the copper guys but leave the planes alone.
Ps: Free burgers at Shannon Mcdonalds for anyone that washes thier hair or hand in a Axe.
I was listening to the reports on Radio 1 this morning/lunchtime. Unfortunately I don't have this on tape (I've got this afternoons stuff though) but my memory from the 1 O'Clock news is that the Garda information officer said the gard was "confronted" but "managed to raise the alarm" and that he was unhurt and that it was Brennan who claimed that a Gard had been hospitalised. I don't suppose anyone has the tape lying around do they?
to ronald mcdonald:
the plane carries soldiers......those people who are paid to murder and destroy.....quite simple really
Blatant guilt tripping from Bertie, even if it was true, would we forgoe our morals everytime we might lose US money?
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Asked about the incident this morning, the Taoiseach Mr Ahern said security breaches at Shannon threatened refueling contracts which contribute significantly to the airport's revenue.
"Refueling is 40 per cent of the business of Shannon, it is the economy of Shannon. And that is not just American alone, that's the whole business. And there is a real danger we could lose that and that would be devastating for Shannon all because a group of people want to engage a malicious attack," he said.
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oh but bertie, what about this from the dail on
Tuesday, 26 November 2002
84. Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Transport the number of commercial or private flights and military flights that passed through Irish airspace during 2001 and 2002 to date; the total revenue raised by the Irish Aviation Authority in respect of fees charged to private or commercial flights; the reason no fees are charged in respect of military aircraft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23464/02]
Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan): The Irish Aviation Authority provides air traffic control and communications services to aircraft which pass through Irish controlled airspace - en route - and aircraft landing and taking off from Irish airports - terminal. The Irish Aviation Authority controls some 100,000 sq. m., of international airspace in addition to domestic airspace.
According to the Irish Aviation Authority, a total of 465,204 en route civil and 6,895 en route military aircraft flights flew through total Irish-controlled airspace in 2001. The figures for 2002 to end September were 339,707 civil flights and 6,881 military flights. A much smaller proportion of military en route flights fly through domestic airspace with the permission of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, while a smaller proportion again land at Irish airports. The total revenue raised by the IAA in respect of en route, terminal and communications charges to civil flights in total Irish-controlled airspace was €77.3 million in 2001 and €60.9 million to end-September 2002.
http://www.gov.ie/debates-02/26Nov/Sect5.htm
Eamonn - could you get a copy of that radio show up here?