"Justification for Direct Action against the War on Iraq"

by damien m Mon Oct 18, 2004 09:52 087 9184552

As thousands of U.S. troops pass through Shannon on a monthly basis to maim and kill - to be maimed and killed - the pacifist movement, dublin catholic worker, have called for a multi-faith/no faith vigil for peace to take place at Ireland's welcome mat for the U.S. WAR MACHINE, Shannon Airport.

Meanwhile, Mary Kelly faces a possible 10 year imprisonment stint in Limerick jail while the perpetrators of war crimes continue to rule/ruin the world.

The best possilbe solidarity with Mary is to go to Ennis Circuit court from this Wednesday, October 20th, as she faces prosecution for trying to end the US Military use of Shannon. Another way to show sollidarity, is to help achieve that which she has already served time in prison for, the end of U.S. military use of Shannon

Halloween Return to Shannon, October 31st
*Gather at 1pm (Shannon Town Centre, LIDL car Park)
*Peace walk to Airport Terminal from 1.30pm
*Guest Speaker: U.S. Anti-war Activist Carmen Trotta (War Resisters League)
*All participants are invited to speak briefly
* Die-in at 2,30pm while the names of the IRAQI and COALITION DEAD are read out.

360,000 U.S. troops have passed through Shannon Airport in the past three years alone since the War on Terror (War is Terror) was declared by the Bush Administration. U.S. military and civilian airlines contracted by the U.S. military to deploy troops and weaponry have been landing, refueling, using Irish airspace,catering and dutyfree facilities at Shannon & Baldonnel in their preparation to wage war, engage in invasion, maintain occupation, supplement exploitation, and sanitise imperialism, all in the name of Western 'democracy'.

The Irish government's decision to lie about Ireland's role in hosting a belligernet force was made transparent by the work of a few dedicated peace activists who monitored the incoming aircraft from Ocotber, 2001. Aer Rianta made €15 million from this arrangement in 2003, while up to Sept. 2004 they (now Shannon Airport Authority) have already pocketed €14 million in blood money.

The Irish government's treatment with contempt of the will of the vast majority of the Irish people to end the Irish complicity in the War on Iraq, etc. fell on deaf ears. Modern economics deemed the arrangement to profitable for morality to play a part in their overall decision.

No WMD's were found. No link between Al-Qa'eda and the secular Hussein regime was found. The '45 minute' strike on Britain potential was recently striked out. The U.S. and U.K. Intelligence communities (are)were politically influenced to support an internationally unpopular and according to Kofi Annan, U.N. Secretary General, an illegal war; so where do Irish people stand in all of this?

While the war on Iraq is ongoing and increasingly disastrous, and with the fear of a Bush re-election and the reality that Kerry's foreign policy will be orchestrated by the same unelected officals in the Pentagon and CIA, it seems like Ireland's participatory role is more likely to increase rather than dissiapte in the near future.
Indeed, with 114,803 U.S. troops having landed from January-September (a 17% increase on the same period last year), and a record monthly toll of 22,000+ in September, Shannon Airport's purpose as a vital pitstop for U.S. Imperialism is certain to increase in the coming months and years. Recent revelations have also all but confirmed that SHannon is a transit point for illegally detained muslims being imprisoned in the Guantanamo gulag, Cuba. This all seems to big and powerful to protest against - Unless.........

You decide to be a part of the first demonstration at Shannon Airport initiated by any sector of the Irish peace movement in 2004. This is only the beginning of what we hope will be a resurgence of grassroots activites against war and for nonviolent peace and justice.

This demo. will be a multi-faith/no faith protest against the use of Shannon Airport by the U.S. Military.

Encourage friends to come down. Don't be discouraged that this will not be a mass protest. From little things big things grow. And remember how effective a mosquito can be in a dormitory full of people without safety nets.

You're encouraged to Be Creative, bring your own placards, banners, etc.

Peace Camp may be set up in the area. Details will follow closer to the date


If you can make your own way to Shannon for the way please contact us if your willing to share your automobile with others going from your area.
087 9184552 or 087 9638398


Lets start building from the bottom-out in an attempt to nurture nonviolent resistance/civil disobedience, in the spirit of the Nuremburg Demand.


150,000 pairs of feet didn't work.
150,000 signatures won't work either.


The only time the U.S. Military have been taken out of Shannon was in the 3 month period after 2 disarmament actions at Shannon in January and February 2003. 3 U.S. 'civilian' airlines contracted by the U.S. military to transit troops and weaponry for a theatre of war illegally and immorally employed moved out of Shannon referring to lack of security as their main concern.

The U.S. Embassy in Dublin also admitted that the Mary Kelly and subsequent Catholic Worker decommisioning of a U.S. Navy C-40A plane at Shannon led to a 3 month withdrawal by these vital components to the war machine It would have been a permanent withdrawal if nonviolent resistance continued to be a tactic of the peace movement. The Embassy, the Foregin Affairs dept., and the U.S. military contracted airlines new it was safe to return and carry on 'business as usual', and thus we lost - they won.
By acknowledging that we, as a Peace Movement, were defeated by the powers that be, is surely the first step in getting over the grieving process and passive form of our dissent. Spending 3/4 hours in Shannon, naming it is a quintessential part of a conveyor belt for death, will be far more empowering than reading another newspaper article or watching Sky News.

Our sorrow and empathy for all those made vulnerable for the sake of the comfortable needs to be enfleshed with a public witness

You are certain to meet like-minded folk who want to do a little more to prevent our ongoing complicity. Now is the time to strike up new/renew old contacts and begin to be actively anti-war, pro-peace.

The only piece of U.S. military hardware which passed through the West enroute to 'Operation Enduring Freedom/Occupation' not to assist the theatre of war and the spread of imperial cancer was the afore mentioned US Navy plane.

Peoples from all faith/no faith and all ethnic backgrounds are invited to come together in a common human voice against Irish compicity in war making.

See you on October 31st ;-)

HALLOWEEN RETURN TO SHANNON, OCTOBER 31ST