Bikes Against Bush Photos

national | anti-war / imperialism | news report Thursday June 24, 2004 02:45 by critical masser - indymedia.ie

So we made it. Finally after nearly 200 clicks, three punctures, two new tyres, one basket sacrificed, and cycling through a monsoon (5 days rain in one) a bash on the knee and a damaged finger, we arrived in Limerick and are camped out the back of a peace activists house.

We are very tired but excited that we are closing in on the Shannon circle of steel or the landing pad for the world’s no. 1 terrorist George W Bush. Tomorrow the peace camp, but that’s another story. Let us remind.

Day one, we left the department of foreign affairs on Saturday on our marathon cycle. Around Crumlin we encountered our first belt of bad weather and sought refuge in a ‘sympathetic house’ there. Then onwards though the west of Dublin where there is no evidence of any planning towards our first port of call, Baldonnell.

The following statement was read out by Dermo

“ We are stopping here at Baldonnell for a reason. This air base is traditionally the home of the Irish Air force and is also used as a landing site for the infamous Government Jet.

This place has been used for over 18 months to refuel the bombers and troop carriers of the United States to Iraq where they are engaged in a vicious war with a people they claimed they were going to ‘liberate’. They know full well that their cargo is, one air force crew going as far as painting a skull & crossbones on their fuselage, they carry a cargo of death to the middle east.

The Irish government decided to allow the United States to use this air base, long before it became public knowledge. After the massive show of disapproval on Feb 15th last of over 120,000 people in Dublin against this war, they had a debate and decided to continue to let the US imperialist troops continue to use the Baldonnell and Shannon air ports.

We are here to say for many people, Enough is Enough. We have no part in this war where people continue to lose their lives daily in this war, so that George W. Bush can repay his rich oil friends for getting him into the white house in the first place. In this blood for oil exchange we see over 15,000 Iraqis dead, over 600 US troops, thousands have been maimed, and hundreds tortured. We are seeing the true naked ugliness of a system where capital and it’s accumulation is ALL THAT MATTERS.

We ask our government and our esteemed leaders to act democratically, that is reflect the views of the people who elected them into power, and withdraw all our airports and bases from use by the US Military. People have a respect for human rights and it’s our destiny to continually remind our leaders not to forget that in their clamour to cosy up to the powerful.”

We have enjoyed overwhelming support in our cycle across the country and we would like to particularly thank the Kildare IAWM group and Limerick people (Ed Horgan much respect.) Please get to Shannon because US presidents come and go but we must stop acting like as a pit stop to the US Killing Machine.

(Our journey was done for many reasons by the ten people involved but we’d like to remember Ann Behan who was a Kildare Anti-war activist and Environmentalist who passed away last February.)