Clare no events posted in last week
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony
Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony
Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony
RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony
Waiting for SIPO Anthony Public Inquiry >>
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.
Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy
Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy
It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy
Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left
Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy Human Rights in Ireland >>
Judges Told to Avoid Saying ?Asylum Seekers? and ?Immigrants? Fri Jul 26, 2024 17:00 | Toby Young A new edition of the Equal Treatment Bench Book instructs judges to avoid terms such as 'asylum seekers', 'immigrant' and 'gays', which it says can be 'dehumanising'.
The post Judges Told to Avoid Saying ?Asylum Seekers? and ?Immigrants? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Intersectional Feminist Rewriting the National Curriculum Fri Jul 26, 2024 15:00 | Toby Young Labour has appointed Becky Francis, an intersectional feminist, to rewrite the national curriculum, which it will then force all schools to teach. Prepare for even more woke claptrap to be shoehorned into the classroom.
The post The Intersectional Feminist Rewriting the National Curriculum appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech Fri Jul 26, 2024 13:03 | Toby Young The Government has just announced it intends to block the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, effectively declaring war on free speech. It's time to join the Free Speech Union and fight back.
The post Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
I Wrote an Article for Forbes Defending J.D. Vance From Accusations of ?Climate Denialism?. Forty Ei... Fri Jul 26, 2024 11:00 | Tilak Doshi On July 18th, Dr Tilak Doshi wrote an article for Forbes defending J.D. Vance from accusations of 'climate denialism'. 48 hours later, Forbes un-published the article. Read the article on the Daily Sceptic.
The post I Wrote an Article for Forbes Defending J.D. Vance From Accusations of ?Climate Denialism?. Forty Eight Hours Later, Forbes Un-Published the Article and Sacked Me as a Contributor appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Come and See Nick Dixon and me Recording the Weekly Sceptic at the Hippodrome on Monday Fri Jul 26, 2024 09:00 | Toby Young Tickets are still available to a live recording of the Weekly Sceptic, Britain's only podcast to break into the top five of Apple's podcast chart. It?s at Lola's, the downstairs bar of the Hippodrome on Monday July 29th.
The post Come and See Nick Dixon and me Recording the Weekly Sceptic at the Hippodrome on Monday appeared first on The Daily Sceptic. Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Netanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en
Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en
Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en
Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en Voltaire Network >>
|
Shannon Airport - Still Aiding and Abetting War
clare |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report
Thursday January 01, 2009 20:20 by John Lannon
![Report this post to the editors Report this post to the editors](../graphics/report.gif)
Campaigners to continue their peaceful opposition in 2009
As another year begins, peace and human rights activists in Ireland’s mid-West continue to oppose the role of Shannon airport in war and torture. The first events of the year will include a Peace Camp commemoration on Jan 6th, followed by the regular monthly vigil on Jan 11th. Monitoring of known torture/rendition planes and military flights will also continue in 2009 as part of the ongoing efforts to end Irish complicity in war and illegal trafficking of prisoners. The first Shannon vigil of the year is the Peace Camp commemoration on Jan 6th. Organisers are inviting members of the public to join them in expressing abhorrence of the brutal wars being conducted, condoned or supported by the West at this time, and to help knit a gigantic peace banner. According to the organizers the knitting, as a communal activity, will serve as a symbol to unite people in solidarity and mourning against the complicity of the Irish Government in the Afghanistan and other wars. And as more and more reports come through of the appalling Israeli massacre of Palestinians, Nollaig na mBan or Women’s (Little) Christmas is an opportune time to remember the innocent lives taken or destroyed by forces that care little for the suffering of others.
The Peace Camp commemoration takes place on the sixth anniversary of the original peace camp at Shannon and will run from 11am until 9pm in the evening. Details are available from http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90370 and http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90358.
Shannon Airport has been central to the suffering of Iraqi people since the time of the original peace camp in 2003. In the last six years, hundreds of thousands of US troops have passed through the airport lounges on their way to or from occupied Iraq. Having gone nervously on a mission that lacked legal legitimacy and moral authority, many were directly involved in the death of Iraqi people. Others were killed themselves, bringing unnecessary tragedy and sadness to American families. Today as almost 5 million Iraqis are forced to live as refugees, without homes, and in dire need of humanitarian care, Ireland’s response is to continue to ferry more occupation soldiers, military equipment, arms and munitions to the region, and at the same time impede Iraqi applications for asylum here in Ireland.
While the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars continue to envelop innocent victims, the ferocity of the most recent Israeli massacre of Palestinians is quite shocking. After six days of air strikes, nowhere in Gaza is safe. Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, has said his government does not want another ceasefire with Hamas. Instead they want to kill and maim civilians, and block the medical supplies needed to keep innocent children alive. The illegal and indiscriminate killing of women and children is now being condoned by the failure of the Irish and other governments to impose any sanctions against the genocidal Israeli state. Indeed Shannon may even play a direct role in the brutal repression of Palestinians; Israeli planes and crews have in the past used the airport, and even today there are no assurances about the nature or ultimate destination of the military cargo going through the airport.
As US and British forces continue to occupy war-ravaged Iraq and Afghanistan, and their Israeli counterparts kill innocent Palestinians in their homes, there are countless other crises and oppressions that barely receive a mention in our busy lives. The people of Zimbabwe are living through a nightmare; Somalia is once again facing a humanitarian and security crisis; the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo suffer violence, poverty and health epidemics while the West profits from their rich resources. These and other victims of greed and unresolved conflict will be remembered at the Peace Camp commemoration in Shannon on Jan 6th.
As efforts to end Shannon airport’s use as a war base continue in 2009, people from all walks of life are asked to support the monthly vigils (second Sunday of every month from 2 – 3pm), and to let the Irish government know that nothing justifies complicity in the bombing, maiming and prolonged starvation of innocent victims of war, or in the illegal torture of our fellow human beings.
Details of all organised events and regularly updated information about Shannon’s complicity in war are available from http://www.shannonwatch.org.
|
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6We know that Shannon airport was used to resupply Israel with munitions including attack helicopters during previous attacks that it mounted against Lebannon and the Palestinians. There is now a likelihood that war supplies or re-supplies from the United States to Israel will be transported through Irish airspace and through Shannon airport to Israel. A Kallita Air flight has been refuelled recently at Shannon.
Shannon is still being used on a daily basis as a logistics war-hub for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with at least two plane-loads of US troops on OMNI Air planes each carrying up to 300 armed US troops. Other US military aircraft and CIA associated aircraft are still regularly refuelled at Shannon. Details can be obtained at www.shannonwatch.org.
At the SWP/people before profit, iawm 'rally'' in dublin yesterday in support of the Palestinians, there was nothin said about shannon and its role in supplying Israeli military with weapons and aircraft supplied bybthe US govt to massacre them....hmmm
D Ahern always argued it was the usual practice of 50 years to allow US troops to land, this archive shows otherwise.
US planned to use Shannon to transport troops Washington wanted to use airport without clearance
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1231/1....html
A shipment of U.S. arms was due through Shannon in the weekend following the acquittal of the pitstop ploughshares during the Juy/August 06 bombing of Lebanon. Due to heightened state of public discord with ongoing Irish complicity in various U.S. wars this shipment was redirected to Prestiwck in Scotland where its security was serously compromised by Trident Ploughshares who were coincidently having an annual Hiroshima anniversary peace camp in the vicinity. A hippy was busted in the pilot seat from memory!
The following shipment orignally destined for a stopover in Shannon was again redirected and met met by a large number of protesters at Prestwick and was redirected a second time to RAF Middenhall in England. It would be interesting to know if these shipments went back to as business as usual through Shannon as the heightened state of public discord declined. Would be interesting to know if they are ongoing to Israel now?
SWP/IAWM have little interest in making the direct links with Irish complicity in the present raising of Gaza (they were against makig Shannon the focus at the height ofthe anti-war movement in 03...it might beg the logical questiion of direct action intervention in Ireland (or at least supporting it when it happens, they don't). They prefer to safely cheerlead for arm struggle from their comfort zone. IAWM is a shell SWP company that has been inflated this week to secure media profile and access for their local electoral ambitions. They will abandon Gaza as they have abandoned Iraq and Afghanistan as the media spotlight moves on.
Department of Foreign Affairs - Statement by Mr Dermot Ahern TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland to European Parliament ? TDIP Committee http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=27211
Dermot Ahern [quote]Our economic ties are equally significant. It is well known also that the United States military personnel have for over 50 years been flown through Shannon Airport, and that this continues to-day in relation to the transport of troops to and from UN mandated operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.[/quote]
http://archives.tcm.ie/breakingnews/2003/03/19/story923...8.asp
Tonight Mr Ahern said to withdraw a facility that had applied for more than 40 years would have been seen “as a hostile act and it was not something I was prepared to do”.
The only way to end the use of Shannon for military purposes is to make it impossible for the Irish government and their US allies to do so.
That would take all of us. All of us out there, every day.
All of us getting arrested until the gaols couldn't hold all of us. And the rest of us outside those gaols protesting and bailing each other out.
All of us doing so much, making so much noise, and disrupting so much business- as- usual that it would be impossible for the media to ignore us or blacken all of us. Because it wouldn't just be the usual suspects in Exploited t-shirts- the ones who they always take photos of. It would be all of us; business people, housewives, grannies, students, shopkeepers.
It would take about 3 weeks to a month... But only if we had all of us.
The political parties wouldn't know what to do. They'd hem and haw, but in the end call or some kind of restraint etc.
But it would work. We'd have changed Irish history. All us us would.
The only downside is that the SWP would take all the credit. Oh well... Small price to pay, really.
This is my daydream, and it's keeping me sane.
Sincerely,
One of us