Not The Salthill Warshow

galway | anti-war / imperialism | press release

Saturday June 18, 2005 19:35

by Galway Alliance Against War

GAAW is running an event entitled: Not The Salthill War Show. It is a symbolic gesture to counter the militarism of the Salthill War show. We intend to release doves over Salthill on Midsummer’s Day, Tuesday 21st June at 10.30a.m. at Salthill Park beside Leisureland.

Galway Alliance Against War
Salthill Air Show

Galway Alliance Against War
Salthill Air Show

GAAW is running an event entitled: Not The Salthill War Show. It is a symbolic gesture to counter the militarism of the Salthill War show. We intend to release doves over Salthill on Midsummer’s Day, Tuesday 21st June at 10.30a.m. at Salthill Park beside Leisureland.

The Salthill Air Show continues to include in it’s line-up warplanes which are in active service delivering death and destruction in various parts of the world.

Two RAF warplanes: the Jaguar and the Tornado, have been actively involved in the war in Iraq which has no UN authorisation and prior to that in a long running campaign of bombing in Iraq which also had no UN authorisation. These RAF warplanes have been responsible for the deaths of numerous Iraqis including civilians and have dropped cluster bombs; a weapon which has been condemned by the UN and other international agencies for causing excessive civilian casualties.

The US Blackhawk helicopter is in operation in Iraq where it took part in the massacre of civilians in Falluja and is being used in attacks on civilian neighbourhoods by the Israeli military forces in the Occupied Territories and by the Columbian government in the Columbian civil war.

The Galway Alliance Against War totally opposes the use of these civilian killing machines in a family show over Galway. We believe their presence glorifies and sanitises war. It may be exhilarating for those watching from the Salthill promenade, but for people in many other parts the world the roar of these warplanes is a terrorising experience, a prelude to death and destruction.

It is also a shameful mis-use of public funds for the Galway City Council to apply scarce resources to fund this kind of display. The incoming Mayor, councillor Brian Walsh stated in the Council Chambers that “the Airshow is good for the traders of Salthill”. Surely Galway City Council is supposed to represent all it’s citizens not just the business lobby? But even if the City Council wishes to spend its money supporting Galway business surely there are better ways to do it?

At the next Annual budget meeting for the Galway City Council GAAW will be pressing for the funding of the airshow to be made conditional on the exclusion of warplanes.