Womens Overnight Peace Camp
national |
miscellaneous |
news report 
Sunday January 05, 2003 04:16
by Edward Horgan - Shannon Peace Camp
shannonpeacecamp at hotmail dot com
Shannon Town, Co. Clare
061-365871
Freezing for Peace
On what may prove to be the coldest night of 2003 (down to -7 C) A womens peace camp has been set up at the entrance to Shannon Airport, Co. Clare. The purpose of the Peace Camp is to highlight the abuse of Irish neutrality due to the use of Irish airspace and Shannon airport to facilitate the US war against Iraq.
This weekend, 4th/5th January a group of female peace activists are literally freezing for peace. With temperatures well below freezing point and an additional chill factor caused by the wind comming in off the Shannon Estuary these brave people are protesting at the use of Shannon Airport as a transit and refueling point for the US military buildup for war against Iraq. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of innocent Iraqi citizens will be killed when this war very likely begins within the next six weeks. We the Irish people will be complicit in mass murder if we fail to protest at this abuse of Irish neutrality. Terrorism must be condemned regardless of whether it is perpetrated by individuals or groups such as Al-Qaida, or by out-of-control states such as Iraq, North Korea, and more recently, the United States, which is behaving as if international law and the United Nations are its tools for war rather than instruments of peace.
The peace activists at Shannon vary from teanage students to more seasoned peace campaigners such as Mary Kelly who risked her life to save Palestinians at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem last year, and Margareta Darcy who was one of the original Greenham Common Peace Women protesting against the deployment of Pershing nuclear misiles in Europe.
Urgent support is needed at the Shannon Peace Camp to provide a rota of volunteers round the clock, for these peace vigils. The objective is to shine a light on the darkness to which our government is committing each of us without our permission. 061-
Peace not war is the road to survival.
For more information phone 061-365871
email: [email protected]
Comments (10 of 10)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10well done to you all. keep up the good work. the only thing i would have a problem with is (and i'm not being sectarian here!) is you say in relation to US terrorism it is 'more recent'. I would disagree, and say US terror has been the only consistent terrorism since the post-war era - bay of pigs, korea, vietnam, chile, niguragua, israel, iraq, afghanistan and now it seems iraq again (excluding sanctions and 'no fly zone' bombings of course). but good luck with the protest.
On behalf of the United States anti-war community, Thank you.
After the Womens Peace Camp it was decided to that we enjoyed it so much that we want to try and keep a permanent camp now at Shannon. So please anyone interested come along.
but it would really be wonderful if people spoke about South America.
It would help just as much.
None of those sleeping out really think their actions will stop the Iraq War, nor do I think their actions, letters, anger would help South America, but for the sake of goodness and honesty, South America must be addressed.
thank you again.
wrap up warm :-)
Well done to everyone at the peace camp, those who know me will be aware of the reason that I cannot make it. Any activity that helps to give the issue a profile is worthwhile. It has of course, been ignored by RTE and TV3. I hope nobody is holding his or her breath for some balanced coverage from our “local” press either.
As for “international law”, U.S. imperialism adheres to international norms when it suits them. Remember the crimes against Nicaragua?
Re the “United Nations”, that body is a tool of the Imperialist powers, to be activated when it is in their interests to do so, e.g. Iraq/Kuwait 1991 and when inactivity on the part of that body is the requirement then nothing will be done, e.g. the genocide in East Timor. The significance of Blix (boss of the U.N. “inspectors”) reporting first of all, to the White House should be obvious to all.
Incidentally Joe, what are you doing at a women’s peace camp? Please pass on my regards to the leader of the peace movement, Timothy.
Keep it up. Also make the points about British terrorism. The Brits are involved in the ongoing bombing of Iraq. they also incudentally prop up dictatorial regimes in the region- eg Oman.
And lets not forget that they also still occupy part of this country and have carried out terrorist acts here for the last 800 years.
Just in response to various bits of feed back regarding the womens peace camp at shannon: everyone is welcome to the camp, your support is desparatly needed, whether male, female, neither or both! if you are against a war in Iraq ignited by George W Bush, if you are against the killing of innocent civilians, if you are against the use of Shannon Airport and the Irish states' complicity in this military aggression, COME TO THE SHANNON PEACE CAMP. While the weekend vigil was initiated by women it was sustained by all. It would not have been possible to remain in -7 degree temperatures on the first night without the constant supply of hot food, fire wood and well wishing by local men, women and children and the lads involved in peace camp. So i say now the momentum is there, we can all give something to the sustaining of the camp.
YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB OUT THERE!IT IS MUCH MORE INTERESTING TO KNOW THAT MANY ARE EVEN PLANNING TO GO AND PROTECT THE INNOCENT IRAQS IN THEIR HOME LAND BY PROTECTING THEM FROM AMERICAN AND BRITISH BOMBS.
PLEASE!DON'T GIVE UP IT IS A JUST COUSE AND IT IS WORTHY FIGTHTING FOR. WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW GREED OF THESE WORLD'S WEALTH NATIONS TAKE OVER THE POORER RESOURCES LIKE IRAQ.
LET NO BODY FOOL IN ONE THAT AMERICAN PLANES ARE NOT HAVING ANY WEAPONS ON BOARD AS CLAIMED BY THE DEP'T OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
THE INNOCENT IRAQS HAS A VOICE AND ITS WE THE HUMAN ACTIVISTS.GOOD JOB.
WELL DONE
Thank God for everyones actions, we sure cant depend on media attention here in the USA or anywhere but the people will prevail. You know I cant help thinking that when the North was devisely cut off from the South both lost their power, installed a goverment for the "Republic", what is it sovereign over?, cetainly not its people, it lost half of them in the North. Cutoff and ineffective, Irelands own government does not support its own people, and the mass media in the "Republic" is blind to its severed arm. Ireland awake and take back your country.Its not a North-South thing. Open your eyes.(this is not directed at the Peace camp)
Maire O'Rourke
Thank you so much - there is growing opposition to this war madness in the US and around the world. Don't let Ireland become part of the US war machine.
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