Global Women's Strike Protests at Salthill Airshow

galway | anti-war / imperialism | press release

Sunday June 26, 2005 11:21

by Global Women's Strike, Ireland

Ireland at allwomencount dot net

087 7838688

For several years the Global Women’s Strike has protested with many others the inclusion of warplanes in the annual Salthill air show, polluting our skies and shaming those of us who live in Salthill with its investment in killing machines. This year, the organisers have invited the participation of several military planes including from the US while publicly proclaiming themselves ‘as anti-war as the next man’....

...As women we know that the majority of casualties in war are women and our children and that we are the majority of refugees worldwide. The majority of the conservatively estimated 100,000 civilians killed by the US-led war on Iraq were women and children. It is women who pick up the pieces of every war and occupation, struggling amid bombs and tanks, poisoned land and water, with electricity blackouts and food shortages, to work day in day out for the survival of all in their care.

As mothers and other carers we want our children to know that this is what happens in war; we do not want them taught the lie that these planes are harmless entertainment or that war is an exciting adventure. We also demand to know why the Irish army mounts an armoured vehicle display and recruiting tent every year at the Salthill event. ‘If, as the organisers claim, the airshow has nothing to do with the glorification of war and the military, why is there an army presence?’ asks Maggie Ronayne, co-ordinator of the Global Women’s Strike in Ireland. ‘Now that warmonger Blair is set on taking over the EU to run it the way Bush wants, will children in Ireland end up serving in their illegal wars?’ she added.

We are with our sisters in the Strike in the US who are spearheading an Opt Out campaign – ensuring school kids and parents are informed that they can legally opt out of an increasingly desperate military contacting them at home to recruit. Bush is having to defend his killing spree in the face of an enormous and growing movement in the US, beginning with military families who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and Iraq and women and men refuseniks, who will not go to the Middle East to rape and kill for oil. We are with our brothers and sisters everywhere who are refusing to kill. Payday a network of men working with the Strike is working with refuseniks around the world, and with the families who campaign on their behalf.

Warplanes out of Galway, out of Ireland! No military displays or recruiting at family events!

Invest in Caring Not Killing!

Global Women’s Strike, Galway, Ireland

For further info and to find out about our plans to protest at the airshow this year: Tel: 087 7838688

The Global Women’s Strike is a network of grassroots women in over 60 countries, co-ordinated internationally by the Wages for Housework Campaign. It is independent of all political parties. www.globalwomenstrike.net
Payday is an international network of men who work with the Global Women’s Strike. www.refusingtokill.net

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Comments (12 of 12)

Great day out

by Jock

Sun Jun 26, 2005 23:40

I was at the show, it was a great family day out - thousands of families present - thousands of excited kids - fantastic weather - b there again next year please god
by the was you looked like a shower of fools and ye could all do with loosing a few pounds

loosing

by jockey

Mon Jun 27, 2005 00:11

someone put that in a search - it's a regular

"here comes a regular
call out your name
here comes a regular
am I the only one
that feels the same"

Paul W. Replacement

Wrong Protest, Wrong Place.

by oppressed muslim woman

Mon Jun 27, 2005 04:16

Will Global Women’s Strike, Galway, Ireland be protesting outside the Sinn Fein offices about the murder of a 14 year old child in Derry 32 years ago? Probably not.

An I love the gratuitous throwin in of the word rape for good effect. You people would be better off protesting how Islamic countries treat women - but no, there's no leftie political mileage in that, is there?

There's a theme emerging here - or haven't you noticed - each thread where the Anti-Freedom side and the enjoyers of th Air Show make their point and win results on the losers (Global Women’s Strike, Galway, Ireland, Palestinian supporters, Galway Anti-War, etc) start a new posting. Don't worry, we can keep up...

Wimming Against the Tide of Freedom

by Millie Tant

Mon Jun 27, 2005 04:52

womenwholove2much at lesbos dot com

Hey Girls!

Talk to Ayaan Hirsi Ali first!

Brilliant Day In Salthill

by Michael Joyce

Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:26

My god what a great day we had in Salthill yesterday 26th June, what a great Air Show congrats to all involved, well over 100,000 happy people turned up to see the show, to the five dopes who turned up and looked stupid with your disgusting ant-american posters you had no support whatsoever in the crowd and quite a few turned on you and told you where to go. You should be ashamed of yourselves going over to our own Irish Army with your banners especially when our troops are carrying out such wonderful peace keeping duties around the World we are so proud of them.

As one soldier said to me if you people were living in Bosnia, Kosova and Liberia where these type of planes carry out peacekeeping duties and keeping the people safe you would be very happy to hear and see them flying overhead every day in the peace protection role, something which you would never from hear people like you, you never say the positive side of fighter jets you only look at life with negative eyes, you are a disgrace to this Town.

100 000 turn a blind eye

by dave

Mon Jun 27, 2005 15:32

"if you people were living in Bosnia, Kosova and Liberia where these type of planes carry out peacekeeping duties and keeping the people safe you would be very happy to hear and see them flying overhead every day in the peace protection role, something which you would never from hear people like you, you never say the positive side of fighter jets you only look at life with negative eyes."

The primary function of a fighter jet is to rain death from the sky on to human beings.

You think that The anti-war protesters at Salthill have a negative outlook, maybe it was the 100000 spectators who are hopelessly naive to condone destruction, war and death and to bring their kids to revel in it all.

democracy?

by popeye

Mon Jun 27, 2005 23:44

Are 100 000 members of the public not entitled to disagree with the 5 protestors?

Maybe the Majority are making the correct decision in this case?

You cant be right all of the time...

Of coursethey are entitled

by eeekkkk

Tue Jun 28, 2005 00:21

I don't see the protesters denying that entitlement.

Air Show

by Mary Corrigan

Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:07

I was there with my family and I have to say it was brilliant and I will be there again, you people give me the creeps, its a case of if you dont like it we cant see it.
you remind me of the Taliban in Afghanistan where the majority of people were suppressed for years by a minority evil thugs who denied them freedom, if I want to see something I am quite able to make up my own mind, I dont need people like you to tell me what I can and cannot do.
GET A BLODDY LIFE.

Mary Corrigan
Dublin

Mary, etc

by conscience pricker

Tue Jun 28, 2005 14:58

They were not preventing you going to the show. Your objection to the protesters is really because they were reminding you what those machines were used for - killing people and promoting imperialism.

Salthill Air Show

Thu Jun 30, 2005 22:44

I have a cousin in the Defence Forces serving in Kosova and he can assure you that if you were living there you would be very happy to see these aircraft as they fly overhead protecting the people from the mass slaughter we saw on tv not to long ago, you people would never say that these aircraft offer protection to people. O no it would not serve your purpose and it would be the end of rubbish groups like yours.

Mary Corrigan

Reverse angle

by Think twice

Mon Feb 19, 2007 14:55

I believe we should encourage as many military planes as possible to the event - after all if they are above our heads entertaining they can't be "raining death" anywhere else.
Love the show a real day out for the family.

Long may it continue

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Global Women's Strike Protests at Salthill Airshow

Comments (12 of 12)