Letter in support of Shannon paint job

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday September 06, 2002 12:30 by Eanna Bandon

Text of a letter I sent to the Irish Times yesterday supporting the actions of Eoin and Tim, fair play to them!

A chara,

the bravery of activists Eoin Dubsky and Tim Hourigan who spray painted a US war plane at Shannon Airport, is to be commended. Their open and accountable action was a fine example of the best of the honourable tradition of Non Violent Direct Action. They recognised the threat to Irish security posed by the use of Shannon Airport by the US military and they acted carefully and deliberately to bring the issue to the attention of the Irish people.

Ireland has strong cultural links with the US manifested by family connections, business deals and media saturation. However the strong cultural links do not imply that the Republic of Ireland, an independent sovereign member of the EU, should condone or comply with US foreign policy.

The presence of US warplanes at Shannon makes a mockery of the notion of Irish neutrality. Last March Taoiseach Ahern returned from an EU summit in Seville with a non-binding Declaration of Neutrality to help sell the Nice Treaty to a sceptical electorate. Then he flew to Washington, put on a green tie, picked up a bowl of shamrock and pledged Ireland's support of the US war agenda in front of the cameras in the White House. The warplanes at Shannon are evidence of the Irish Government's support of US militarism.

Dubsky and Hourigan's actions should not merely be seen as a critique of US foreign policy. Sellafield may be Taoiseach Ahern's favourite potential terrorist target but it is Irish domestic policy that allows Shannon airport to become a potential terrorist target. In bringing the risk to security posed by the US presence at Shannon to the attention of a nation, Dubsky and Hourigan have done the State some service.

Yours,

Eanna Dowling