War Starts through Shannon

by Edward Horgan Sat Nov 15, 2008 22:05

Shannon airport has been a TERROR GATE for refuelling US military and CIA terrorists over the past 6 years. Yet the only interrogation conducted by the Irish police force, the so-called "Guardians of the Peace" of Garda Siochana, has been harrasment and interrogation of peace activists.

TV Crew being interrogated at Shannon - no interrogation of CIA Torturers

Peace activists at Shannon 15 November 2008

by John Lannon Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:08

The Gardai and Airport Police are now intent on harassing anyone that takes an interest in US military activity at Shannon, it seems. At approximately 10.30pm on Nov 15th as I took photographs of another Omni Air International plane I was surrounded by Airport Police and Garda vehicles, and told I had no business at the airport. I was also told that I was not permitted to take photographs, and was “instructed” to leave the airport. When I asked for a legal basis for all this, the best the officer could come up with was “the Air Navigation and Transport Act”. I saw no reason to leave, however, and remained where I was, observing the plane.

As the instructing officer went off to seek guidance from the detective sergeant sitting in his warm car, and the great Omni Air giant of war made its final preparations for departure, I eventually decided to get back into my own car. I proceeded (slowly, it has to be said) towards the airport exit but received a phone call as I drove. Being a law abiding citizen I pulled into an unoccupied staff car park to take the call. I was immediately surrounded, once again, by vehicles from the procession of airport police and Garda cars that had been following me.

This time Detective Sergeant Michael Houlihan decided he was going to have to get out of the car himself to do some instructing. He started by telling me to put down the phone (considered to be a dangerous weapon in the hands of an activist, perhaps), and proceeded (after I had finished my call) to make the usual requests for details of who I was, where I was from, my driving license and so on. And like Edward, I was asked - not for the first time - to produce my certificate of insurance at my local Gardai station.

This was all followed by some more instructing by the detective sergeant, and repeated requests for clarification by yours truly. I was told again that I had no business at the airport but I begged to differ. He then suggested that I was parked illegally, and made reference to unnamed “byelaws” covering that sort of thing. This was his last attempt to intimidate me, however, as he retreated to the warmth of his car once again, having failed to persuade me that I was breaking any laws.

Another officer took up the cause by instructing me, once again, to leave. This time he tried to strengthen his case by introducing the possibility of arrest. Failure to leave, he said, would be an arrestable offence. I continued to seek clarification as to why I was being asked to leave the airport, and eventually I got a hint. “Section 33” the officer said. Nothing more, just “Section 33”.

The officer may have been referring to section 33 of the Air Navigation and Transport Act which states that an authorised officer may order any person (i) who refuses to give his name or address, or to produce other evidence of his identity, or (ii) who refuses to state the purpose of his being on the aerodrome, or (iii) who refuses to account for any baggage or other property in his possession, or (iv) who gives a name or address or states a purpose of his being on the aerodrome which is known, or is reasonably suspected, by the authorised officer to be false or fictitious, or (v) whom he knows not to have, or whom he reasonably suspects of not having, a lawful reason for being on the aerodrome, to leave the aerodrome.

The problem is that I didn’t violate any of these conditions. There was no basis to ask me to leave, and it was in fact a clear case of harassment and intimidation. The harassing officers all eventually retreated after being asked for explanations, unable to justify their pathetic protection of the US war machine.

As it was a cold enough night at the airport and I had no further reason for being there I decided to leave of my own volition. The Gardai followed me out of the airport, and when I stopped to make another phone call in a public place, they stopped behind me (three cars at one point). There were no further attempts to question me, but the presence of the Garda cars was clearly intended as a warning that I should not go back into the airport.

This is just one example of what goes on at Shannon Airport nowadays. Our airport police and Gardai violate civil liberties at a local level, but - far more importantly - they violate human rights on a global scale. And they get paid to protect a war machine that is destroying the lives of millions of Iraqi, Afghan and other innocent people.

All I had with me last night as I watched a plane being prepared for takeoff was a mobile phone with a camera. But it resulted in seven police vehicles tracking/interrogating me. Next time you go to Shannon airport bring a phone with you too, and see what the reaction is when you point it at an Omni Air plane.

The photograph that provoked a huge police/Garda reaction. Why?

by Edward Horgan Sun Nov 16, 2008 14:04

The outrages being perpetrated at Shannon are about to be intensified.

On Friday 14 Nov 08, ministers Willie O'dea, Noel Dempsey et all anounced that Shannon is to become the first European airport to have full pre-clearance agreement for flights and passenger to the United States.

An important part of this agreement, that was not announced publically, but was agree privately, on our behalf, was that US security personnel at Shannon will now be empowered to search all aircraft seeking pre-clearance at Shannon, particularly executive jets.
It will be noted from the Sunday Business Post report below that Shannon airport is now targetting business and other executive jets for refuelling at Shannon airport (the likes of N379P, N313P, N478GS and many more, will be welcomed with open arms).

For the past 6 years the Irish Government and Shannon airport has been profiteering from the refuelling of CIA Associated "business" executive jets, going about their business of rendering prisoners for torture to various black hole prisons around the world, including Abu Graib and Guantanamo.

Outrageously, the Irish Government has been falsely claiming that Gardai and Shannon airport security do not authority to search such planes. In preventing search and investigation of these suspect and real torture planes, the Irish government, all its ministers, and its agents including Gardai and Shannon airport officials and security, are guilty of complicity with torture under both the UN Convention Against Torture, and the Irish Criminal Justice (UNCAT), Act, 2000.

This same Irish Government now has no problem authorising US security officials, who will likely include members of the CIA in disguise or otherwise, to search virtually any aircraft they wish that is travelling on to the United States. But there will be no quid pro quo. No CIA or any other aircraft comming from the USA and refuelling at Shannon airport will be searched by Gardai. That, according to the Irish Government would be "an unfriendly", even hostile act.

See SBP article below by Nicola Cooke. This however, is not the full story. Please dig deeper Nicola.
With best HPSS regards
Edward

"Shannon seeks pre-clearance business in US
Sunday, November 16, 2008 By Nicola Cooke
Representatives of Shannon Airport Authority will fly to the United States tomorrow to try and attract business from airlines there, on the back of the new customs and immigration clearance which will be available at the midwest airport next year.

The pre-clearance agreement between the US and Irish governments was announced last Friday, and will make Shannon the first airport in Europe with these facilities for transatlantic services.

Management believe this is an opportunity to attract significant air traffic back into the region, which suffered a series of setbacks in recent times.

The new clearance is expected to attract a large number of corporate and executive jets, whose clients will avail of fast-track facilities at Shannon.

The airport authority’s representatives will make presentations this week to airlines such as Continental and Delta, about Shannon’s ‘‘unique selling point’’, and will also meet with owners or management of non-scheduled aircraft. A senior source at Shannon said the fact that ‘‘plenty of Fortune 500 company executives and heads’’ will be using Shannon in the near future ‘‘represents a great opportunity’’ for the IDA to ‘‘do a soft sell on Ireland with these people’’.

‘‘We expect a big increase in corporate jet traffic, but we will also be speaking to airlines based in Europe, and the Middle East about these new facilities. British Airways has already decided to re-fuel and get clearance on its business class London City to New York route next year at Shannon, specifically because of these new facilities - which come into effect next June,” the source said.

by Fred Johnston Sun Nov 16, 2008 15:34

There are two things very clear from these articles: (1) Gardai are now resorting more forcefully to demonstrator intimidation and dodgy (not 'doggy,' please!) tactics in response, almost certainly, to word coming down from on high at some government level; (2) the government will do any trick while prostituting itself for the US administration. Shame, dignity, moral honour - all have been thrown away in the name of further 'specialising' the one-way relationship with the United States. The US can inspect us, but we, a sovereign country, cannot inspect them. Nice one. Now tell me we haven't been invaded? How long will it be before the US demand that the Irish government detain and then hand over to them some troublesome demonstrator? Think that's crazy? Well, at one time right-thinking persons would have thought crazy the notion that the US would establish a forward military position (yes, that's what it is) at Shannon airport and make it permanent,) for all of you who didn't read The Irish Times friendly Christmas profile a couple of years back and the interview with the US liaison officer at Shannon.) As the US War Of Terror expands around the globe to take in Pakistan, Syria and Iran (these last two through Israel, their military proxy, who are currently enagaged in conducting civil collective punishment, a war crime, against Palestinians by depriving them of food) we can expect that our happy green leprechaunish shores will " Top 'o' the mornin' " to more military pass-through, including soldiers, aircraft and materiel and that the torture network (even with Guantanámo closed) will step up its pace now that the Irish government are organising safe passage for 'civilian' aircraft which may be involved in rendition flights. And why do I often rant on about the lack of presence of Irish writers and artists at Shannon? Simple, really. Does anyone with a sense of history and of how the US can and has blackmailed and forced friendly countries into doing their bidding, from agreeing vetos to withdrawing political support, really believe that Irish writers who protest about US world terror will be safe from the wink-and-nod which will prevent them from entering the US to lecture or work, or, in the end, the possible 'withdrawal' of their work in the US? There are horrific things happening at Shannon and Irish people are affected. The grumpy gardai desperate for a way to obey instructions which make no legal sense, can only get grumpier and more desperate.

by mandate for justice? - daoine na hEireann Sun Nov 16, 2008 17:48

Beware the risen people,

The americans are moral reprobates, The government is engaged in subversive activities and the gardai are defenders of the corrupt.
You may say that Ireland is not for sale, but quite obviously it is. All Ireland seems to be right now is a giant 'for sale' sign floating in the east Atlantic, as her wares are prostituted on the international market of greed and blood.

Beware the risen people....

by Fred Johnston Tue Nov 18, 2008 02:38

N70LJ landed at Punta Delgado in the Azores last July - from where and going to where? Interestingly, I have tried three or four times to post this rather elderly piece of info, and my computer has suddenly frozen.