Shannon Blockades & the Ploughshares on the Limerick Border

by Dez Fri Dec 12, 2003 22:16

a few more...

by ali Sat Dec 13, 2003 16:42

the blurry one with the shields is nice and the last one with paul is just perfect!

hope to see more in the future!

ali

by Pit Stop Ploughshares - Limerick/Clare border Sun Dec 14, 2003 15:27

CHAIRDE and many thanx for making your way to Shannon Airport today. The Pit Stop Ploughshares are banned from County Clare and are maintaining a solidarity vigil on the Limerick-Clare border. We are banned under bail conditions designed to restrict our civil rights, our freedom of movement and our ability to organise against Irish participation in this war on Iraq.

Shannon Airport remains a significant pit stop for the U.S. war machine in its ongoing invasion of Iraq. "The Examiner" and "The Times" report today that over 115,000 U.S. troops have passed through Shannon this year. 7,000 of these young men and women have made the return journey to the United States in body bags, with amputations & serious wounds, psychologically scarred with what they have done and what has been done to them. Like the first Gulf war veterans who preceeded them 10 years ago, some will return home wreak terror on America (eg. the Oklahoma Bomber and Washington Sniper both Gulf War vets), some will die slowly of depleted uranium radiation poisoning. some will suicide suddenly adding to the 10% of all U.S. casualties thus far. All will be abandoned by their Government and ruling elites who have used and abused them. When we come to Shannon Airport - we come in solidarity with these young Americans too!

We came to Shannon Airport on Februsary 3rd. to confront Irish complicity in the war on the Iraqi people. An Irish government that has turned Ireland into the door mat for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. An Irish government that has militarised a civilian airport.

We came to this place to enflesh a 3,000 year old prophesy form the book of Isaiah "to beat swords into ploughshares and study war no more". We came to build a shrine on Shannon's runway to the children of Iraq - threatened by the U.S. war machine. We came to disable a U.S. Navy war plane specifically designed to service a naval fleet that had enforced crippling sanctions on the children of Iraq - killing over 500,000 of them. We came to speak truth to power and tear through a web of lies. Lies so clealy exposed today! We were guided by the Holy Spirit and acted in a spirit of nonviolence & prayer.

Our action exposed that this war machine is not secure and it does not secure us! The Irish government responded to our nonviolent disarmament by deploying the Irish Army - making what had been covert, overt. The militarisation of Shannon Airport. Three U.S. corporations using Shannon to move troops responded by pulling out of Ireland in the height of the mobilisation for the fullscale invasion of Iraq. Media, politicians and the mysteriouslly motivated responded with an avalanche of slander & spin. Other good folks responded with the gifts of further nonviolent resistance and solidarity.

You are not alone today. We are on the border, Fintan Lane is in Limerick Prison, Michael Birmingham remains in Baghdad. Many of our brothers and sisters are in chains, before the courts and in custody in the U.S., Britain and Israel for nonviolent resistance to this war.

Most of the U.S. troops landing in Shannon are deployed from final combat traing at Fort Benning, Georgia. Two weeks ago, 10,000 U.S. citizens gathered at Ft. Benning to say no to the US Government's neverending war on the poor, the School of the Americas terrorist training camp at Ft. Benning and US weapons of mass destruction. 50 good folks trespassed into the base risking a minimum 6 monthy jail sentence in America's growing gulags (www.soaw.org)

We should draw heart from these good folks as they will draw heart from our efforts at Shannon today. They're in trouble for us, we're on the loose for them!

*Thursday Dec 11th. 7.30 pm -11.30 pm Benefeit Gig for Ploughshares Trial Fund - Mother Redcaps, near Christchurch, Dublin

*Monday Dec 15th. 9 am Sharp - Accompany the Pit Stop Ploughshares to the Four Courts - Under the Christmas Tree, Spirer, GPO, O'Connel St. Dublin

by pc Mon Dec 15, 2003 16:59

so what part of the trial is the 15th thing then

by Deirdre Clancy - Pitstop Ploughshares Tue Dec 16, 2003 02:37

Today we were supposed to have arguments about items of disclosure still outstanding from the State. However, the hearing didn't actually happen, and is postponed until Friday. I'm not clear as to the full reason for this, but the court was busy with another judge's hearings at the time.

Great pictures, Dez. It would be great to see the ones of the prison vigil too; that was a lively event also.