More observers arrested at Shannon warport

by eamonn c Tue Feb 25, 2003 15:20

the students were reported as being Mid 20's from UCG in both IT and Indo today.

Two sets of TV/Documentary people were followed/stopped/had names taken/one had film taken in recent past. One inside the Airport (surrounded by Gardai/Army/Airport Police/film taken) and One group outside (shadowed by Garda Car/Names eventually taken). No-one was arrested

These incidents took place on a saturday/sunday - one each day in succession - and led to a hilarious (if a little spooky) article in the Cork Evening Echo about a joint Gardai and Airport Police foiling a 'surveillance' 'spying' operation on the airport which seemed to be a kind of mash up of the two incidents as well as a little 'booster' for the image of the Gardai/Airport Police.

Immediately after it was published I called the Garda Press Office - They Knew Nothing about it - Rang the Guards in Limerick - they knew nothing about it either.

I made sure to let both know that it appeared that from the day mentioned in the newspaper report (Saturday) that the people whose 'spying operation' they had foiled were in fact a film crew working for RTE's sign language tv programme - 'hands on' who were making a piece on Shannon issue. I rang the journalist (vincent Power) too with the info and he appeared to not want to be hearing it. It was never mentioned in the press again.

by Dizzy Citizen Tue Feb 25, 2003 16:20

Sure wasn't it revealed a few days ago that the Taoiseach has around 100 spin doctors. The story spun was that
they were there to gauge public opinion. That bit is probably true. Clearly they are also there to then spin
and distort the news, so as to shape public opinion.

With a group like and the resources at their disposal, it would be hard to believe they are not responsible
for the planting of such stories in the national and regional press.

by Rachael - doc crew Wed Feb 26, 2003 14:54

on 12th a documentary crew, comprised of myself and three others were told by aer rianta that permission has to be saught to film the airport from outside the parimeter fence. After this we drove around the parimeter and reached a dead end. A garda pulled us over and gave us grief for driving past the last house on the road and asked us what we were doing. He took our names and the car reg. He said that we shouldn't have driven as far as the dead-end but there are no signs there to say that. I have been informed that it is legal to take footage of the airport whilst on common ground yet aer rianta and the gardai are telling people otherwise. Does anybody know whether we could face arrest if we attempt to film from common land again?

by Eamonn Crudden Wed Feb 26, 2003 15:00

There is a lot of planespotters with cameras there every weekend - they are not harrassed - neither are 'approved' journalists.

by Colm O'Gairbhith Wed Feb 26, 2003 15:28 smallcog at thisbetterworld dot org

For those who'd prefer to go to shannon and see no troops going through, the one remaining carrier is American Trans Air. So if you want to give a roasting tran-atlantic Their intimate details are

E-mail [email protected] , [email protected]
Phone 00-1-317-213-4140
Fax 00-1-317-487-4808

Indianapolis is a good 7 hours behind Irish time so no point calling too early, then again, faxes/emails could be already waiting for them when they get in to the office. I think the main point to get across to them is that there is a majority of Irish people who are opposed to their
use of Shannon airport and that to continue to ignore this fact could only have negative economic repercussions for them within Ireland and in the
Irish communty worldwide. Hit them in the wallet, they are a business after all. Mention that World Airways/Miami Airways/North American Airlines ( all troop carriers ) have already pulled out. Mention that a majority of Irish people are against their continued use of Shannon. Mention that there is a large protest planned for this saturday. Pass on the link to the indymedia story about this protest. http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=30422

Pass this around, as much as you can. There are already around 100 people on the jamforpeace mailing list who will be contacting Transair today

by Ardal Craven Wed Feb 26, 2003 16:24

Are you hoping to shut down the airport altogether ? It's obvious that you are only interested in agitation and aggravation. Please desist from these below the belt tactics as all you are doing is reducing the employment statistics in my home town and surrounding area. I'll wager you are not working at Shannon airport?

by gadzooks Wed Feb 26, 2003 17:25

May I wask, what are you going to achieve by having US planes not stopping in Shannon? They will only use a different airport and it will have ZERO effect on the US war effort in iraq. The only outcome of this will be damage to the economy in the Shannon area and also, damage to peoples livlehoods.

If you are all so against the likely war, why arent you doing something worthwhile like raising money for Trocaire's Iraq relief fund instead of wasting time and money with an over the top protest about minor issues. George Bush probably doesnt even know where Shannon is and I am sure him or his generals will lose no sleep if their troops have to spend an extra hour in a plane before they can refual.

by Phuq Hedd Wed Feb 26, 2003 17:32

Dear Ardal,
employment in Shannon will always be piss-poor as long as it depends upon shunting soldiers through to foreign wars. Peace time economies are stronger and more productive and result in ordinary workers having money spent upon their lives instead of upon other people's deaths.

Add to this the fact that the current war is about US domination of the world's oil supplies to the detriment of Europe and its currency and I think you'll see that it is in all our job's interests to make sure that this war stops in terms of our purely selfish interests.

I do find it disturbing though that you can completely ignore people having their guts blown into a pulp and their limbs ripped off.

Still, seeing as your an immoral prick maybe the above economic argument will be of interest to you.

by Ardal Craven Wed Feb 26, 2003 18:29

To the aptly named Phuq Head.
Actually nobody has been killed in Shannon by the US army. There are hundreds of other places in the world though that they have engaged in general mayhem and murder - why don't you piss off there ..............

by Phuq Hedd Wed Feb 26, 2003 18:46

so it's not surprising that you can't read my comment!

You're pretty aptly named too! ;-)

Now, go back and read the comment like a good boy and respond rationally.

by test Thu Feb 27, 2003 16:38

test