Ahern has bloodied Irish hands - WP

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday January 30, 2003 12:11 by Sean O Cionnaith - Workers' Party

Press Statement from the Workers' Party

Seán Ó Cionnaith, Chair of the Dublin Region of The Workers' Party, party representative in Ballymun, Dublin North West accuses Taoiseach over Shannon.

Ballymun Workers’ Party representative Seán Ó Cionnaith has said the government has bloodied the hands of every Irish citizen through his granting of refuelling facilities for US military aircraft at Shannon Airport.

Mr. O Cionnaith was addressing a specially convened party meeting in Ballymun earlier this week which discussed the looming war against Iraq and Ireland’s role in it.

The Workers’ Party spokesman said that the Taoiseach and Minister Brian Cowen had sacrificed Irish neutrality and handed it on a plate to the United States. He said that the government’s claims in the run up to last October’s second Nice Treaty referendum that “Irish neutrality would be enshrined in the constitution” were a joke in the light of the government’s assistance to President Bush’s war mongering.

“Far from being neutral Ireland has been one of the most belligerent supporters of George Bush. This is not about weapons inspections and it is not about terrorism. George Bush and Tony Blair are preparing a war for oil and Ireland is aiding and abetting that preparation for war”, said Seán Ó Cionnaith.

The Workers’ Party representative congratulated peace activist Mary Kelly who earlier this week took a hatchet to a US Navy plane at Shannon. “This is being portrayed by the state as an act of vandalism. The Workers’ Party regards it as a justified act of patriotism. Our government has arrogantly set aside the Irish Constitution and when the nations constitution is set aside a very serious state of affairs arises. Such action by a government is as near to treason as no difference and the government should not be too surprised when citizens come to the defence of their constitution”, said Sean O Cionnaith.