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1) 300+ at Shannnon protest national |
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news report
 Sunday December 08, 2002 16:45 by Eoin Dubsky - Refueling Peace info at refuelingpeace dot org
 [Reporting from location 5+ miles from Shannon Airport] Just been on the phone to some people at Shannon Airport. Coaches coming from all over the country (Cork, Galway, Limerick, Dublin, Belfast), others coming by Bus Eireann, car, bike or foot. Looks like around 300 at this stage. The anti-war protest began in Shannon town where people gathered for a brief speak out, before walking together to the entrance of the airport where US military flights pass through on a daily basis. That's where the protesters are right now, at the airport. From the person I spoke to on the phone I gather that there are three huge Volga-Dnepr antonov aircraft, which could be carrying masses of US military cargo for the impending invasion of Iraq. Volga-Dnepr have a contract to transport cargo for the United States Armed Forces, and like most of the military-related flights that pass through Shannon Airport, look just like ordinary planes from the outside. There don't seem to be any overtly military aircraft at Shannon Airport right now. There are many diverse groups and individuals over for the protest, so we can expect theatre, speaking, marching, and other creative protest actions before the day is through. Watch the newswire for more information, or call Tim Hourigan on the ground at (086) 3784780. |
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Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6The Shannon Warport protest is continuing, where there are estimated to be somewhere
between 300 to 400 protestors and 40 to 60 Garda. As far as we know the Garda are not
actually protesting against the War on Iraqi, but are for today at least, under the
command of the US corporate/imperial right-wing cabal that seized power sometime ago.
The protestors have marched into the Airport towards the Terminal building, having overcome
a token effort earlier to prevent entry to the Warport grounds.
In the meantime a small group have thrown blood and placed graphic images of dead Iraqi
children, killed during the ongoing sanctions, over the sculpture of the tail-section of
an airplane, which resides near the Warport entrance. The pond beside it, is also covered
in blood and represents just a small drop of the blood already spilt in Iraq during the
sections and will be split if this mad war goes ahead.
It has been reported 4 or 5 of the protestors involved in this action have had their names
taken down by the Garda and it is unclear at the moment whether charges will be brought
forward for the terrible crime of publicizing the death of innocent civilians and exposing
the consequences of these genocidal sanctions and the real face of war. These are the same
sanctions over which two UN commissioners have already resigned in the past 8 years
because of their genocidal impact.
Protestors marching along the roadway leading out of Shannon Warport and alongside the now
famous fence which was breached in the last protest, were deterred from a possible renactment
by the presence of 7 Garda vans protecting the outside of the fence and a further 5 or 6 cars
with Garda and airport Police on the taxi-way inside the runway fence. To further protect the
transport of foreign US military personnel and hardware that will be used for murdering
fellow human beings, the fence was reinforced on top by three rolls of barbed wire and another
roll at the bottom.
The protestors on their way out, carried out a mass inspection of the fence. A group of
protestors who then ran back, were chased by Garda and it is belived that one person was arrested.
Clearly the Irish government are prepared to spend increasing amounts of money to obediently
submit to the US corporate controlled cabal and allow the transport of US warplanes and troops
through Shannon against the wishes of the Irish people.
TG4 news had this top item between 2 and 3 minutes. Only protestors ( 5 of us) interviewed. They featured very briefly the shrine created by Catholic Worker at the end. I think they keep news on their website. Otherwise they roundup their news stories on Sundays, next and that will generally feature most stuff covered .
How much did it cost the Irish taxpayers to protect George W. Bush's war machine?
Irish Times report 100 Gardai on duty. Since they were there since early morning and at least until 6pm that involves probably two shifts. At one stage a group of 15 gardai were seen leaving possibly at the end or their shift, so we could be dealing with 200 Gardai on double time.
Then there's the cost of bringing a Garda helicopter from Dublin plus the garda dogs and their handlers. (They didn't bring the horses this time!)
After that there's the cost of a large number of Aer Rianta security personnel. All this was incurred to protect the US warmongers and the Irish traitors who support them.
They had my permission anyway. What is it to you ? , it wont cost you a cent. Waster.
I too am a taxpayer - a PAYE taxpayer and it will certainly cost me and many others like me. I object to paying for the protection of the US warmachine at Shannon Airport at a time when there are health and education cuts and ministers are wrangling about whether the state should go back to using old blood products for treating patients in order to save a few bob.