A victory for the anti-war movement?

galway | anti-war / imperialism | news report Monday December 17, 2007 21:58 by JohnC - -

Militaristic Salthill air show cancelled

It has been announced that the Salthill Air Show for 2008 has been cancelled. Organisers attribute the cancellation to difficulties in raising commercial sponsorship, something they blame on the campaigning of the Galway Alliance Against War (GAAW). Potential business sponsors, evidently, do not wish to be associated with something as controversial as this air show.

The air show became controversial because of the active opposition of GAAW (and other peace activists), who objected to the display of military air craft, and to the participation of military personnel fresh from bombing missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The glorification of warfare, GAAW has argued, should not be presented as harmless family entertainment.

Since the announcement, supporters of the air show have used local radio and the local papers to blame GAAW for their difficulties. Some samples will give a flavour of the criticism.

Councillor Michael Crowe was quoted as follows in Galway Advertiser, 06/12/07:
“I understand the position of GAAW, and I respect it, and they are entitled to make their views known, but you make your view and you leave it. Every time the budget comes around and every summer, we are harassed and given what I would call borderline abuse on the issue. I’m fed up of the rent-a-crowd brigade. What have they ever done for the city. If they don’t like which way the sun comes up, they stick up a few posters, ring a few people and go out protesting.”

Elsewhere (Galway Independent, 05/12/07), Crowe was quoted as follows:
“Every year, the anti-war alliance put up a fight. I’m sick and tired of this anti-war crowd. The people of Galway don’t cause the war, and these planes are for display purposes only”.

For his part, the technical director of the event, Tony Gibson, stated that warshow organisers were “personally very upset with the anti-show movement, and the push they’ve made to get the funding cut” (Galway Independent, 05/1207)

And an anonymous poster on the guestbook for salthillairshow.com, was in no doubt about who to blame for the cancellation:
“these anti war fools should get facts right before they reck a great irish event. I would assune they tavel on planes on there holidays. Are these not made by Boeing and Airbus . War plane makers very narrow minded, dont know what they are talking about or is it they like to hear them selfs. UP THE SALTHILL AIRSHOW BRING ON 2008”