latest Shannon airport abuse

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Friday February 11, 2005 20:54

by Edward Horgan - peace anytime

Hercules and US VIPs at Shannon?

Today, Feb 11, 2005, a US airforce C 130 landed at Shannon, also expected later were some hundreds of US troops on chartered flights to and from Iraq, and other likely air trafic over the weekend will be executive type jets, carrying either so-called VIPs of the US administration or kidnapped prisoners for torture. All should be arrested, but none are likely to be, except that is peaceful protesters who object to unlawful killing.

Friday 11 February, was just another day at Shannon. A US air force Hercules C130 lands at about 1pm, and is quickly directed to the cargo area, where some mysterious cargo is either on-loaded or off-loaded. Re-fuelling did not appear to take place, which indicates that it may have already been refuelled in midair. The registration number of this warplane was ANG Charlotte 31456, which belongs to the 145th Airlift Wing, of the 156th Squadron, based at Charlotte US air force base in North Carolina, USA. This Air National Guard unit was mobilised on 30th October 2001, presumably for the war against Afghanistan.
The rear tail-gate door of the warplane was open, and two US soldiers were seen manhandling some item of equipment on to the aircraft. At least one of these soldiers appeared to be armed with a side-arm, when observed from the terminal building by binoculars. A complaint was later lodged with the Garda Station at Shannon town, concerning this aircraft on the basis that the presence of a military aircraft, soldiers in uniform, and the possibility that these soldiers were carrying weapons, were all in contravention of international law, that is the Hague Convention V, 1907, and the San Remo Conventions on neutrality. A Garda at Shannon assured the complainant that he was sure that no weapons were being carried on this US military aircraft, and specifically that the soldiers complained about were not carrying weapons.
Curiously, this statement by the Garda does confirm that he was aware of both the presence of the military aircraft at Shannon and of the presence of US troops in uniform, but he clearly choose to ignore this fact. He did not indicate how he ascertained that these soldiers were not armed.
Were these soldiers and this aircraft searched for weapons by the Gardai? Are all such aircraft, including the chartered aircraft carrying troops to Iraq also being searched by Gardai?
My information is that this is not the case, and that large numbers of weapons and munitions are still being transported daily through Shannon airport.
A formal written complaint has been lodged with Gardai, who said it would be forward upwards to the “authorities”.
Many such complaints have been lodged in the past, and the only results have been that more US soldiers, more weapons and munitions and more US military and chartered aircraft have been abusing Shannon airport and Irish neutrality. Very many of these soldiers and military aircraft later went on to commit crimes against humanity in the killing fields of Iraq, and are still doing so, with impunity as far as Ireland is concerned.
Photographs of the Hercules C130 at Shannon will follow later.
The only arrests at Shannon by Gardai have been peaceful peace-activists, including this one, who has been one of the few who has actually been acquitted of what were trumped up, and unsustainable charges. (Shannon Boat People http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68377) Many other peace activists have been convicted in what has amounted to a very questionable judicial process.
Edward Horgan.

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Comments (6 of 6)

Photo of Hercules 31456 at Shannon

by E Horgan

Fri Feb 11, 2005 22:46

This hercules war plane looks innocent, but has been and is being used to deliver death to innocent people in Iraq and elsewhere.

Herculed at Shannon Feb 11, 2005

Sheriff Microwave Weapon

by spy master

Sat Feb 12, 2005 14:31

The Phoenix issue Feb 11th notes that Hercules C130 from Heavy Lift Command USAF has been transporting cargoes of new weapons called Sheriff Active Denial System or silent ray microwave guns through "Shannon en route to the killing fields of Iraq". The question now needs to be asked was Hercules 31456 carrying a cargo of these new weapons.

These microwave weapons may be part of team effort when combined with the new microwave security system at Shannon airport, designed to keep out Banshees and hatchet people.

Great work, Ed, thank you again

by Justin Morahan - Peace People

Sat Feb 12, 2005 14:52

Thank you once again, Ed and spymaster, and all the Limerick team for keeping us informed about what is happening in our national airport, surreptitiously.
Well done too on your recent acquital by Judge Mangan for the boat protest.
You and Eoin Dubsky have also mounted a court challenge to our Government over their participation in the war in Iraq. These challenges are always helpful and I hope the transcripts will be duly published.
The next court case will be for the Pit Stop Ploughshares and this again will be a major examination of our country's particiaption in war.
Keep up the good work

the new Sheriff in town....

by redjade

Sat Feb 12, 2005 16:06

more about the 'Sheriff Active Denial System'...

→ ''The United States has developed a non-lethal microwave weapon for use in Iraq.

Officials said the vehicle, termed Sheriff, would contain the Active Denial System. The system uses millimeter-wave electromagnetic energy that can be directed at targets at a range of 1 kilometer, Middle East Newsline reported.

The ADS system would be downgraded for Iraqi deployment in urban areas, officials said. The modified weapon causes a burning sensation on the skin, causing the people to run away.''

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/breaking2453405.0868055555.html

→ ''ADS works by using a transmitter that produces an energy frequency of 95 GHz and an antenna to direct an invisible beam at a human target. Once the energy reaches the subject, the light beam penetrates the skin by less than 1/64 th of an inch. Within seconds, the target experiences an intolerable heating sensation. The sensation stops if the target moves or the system is turned off [....]

Raytheon, the prime contractor for both technologies, is preparing a humvee-mounted prototype of the ADS system for upcoming DOD testing.''

http://www.oft.osd.mil/library/library_files/article_416_Inside%20The%20Army.doc

→ ''The People Zapper

Recently, the Pentagon announced the possible use of a low energy variation of the E-bomb in Iraq. The weapon, called "the sheriff," was developed at Albuquerque's Kirtland Air Force Base as part of the Air Force Lab's Active Denial System. It's important to note that the design employs a different form of electromagnetic technology than what is being researched at UNM.

Still, the weapon, which looks like a backyard satellite dish, would be mounted on an armored Humvee and used to stop advancing adversaries by generating high frequency radiation in small doses. The technology has been referred to in the press as a "non-lethal people zapper" to be used as a crowd control device, one that in theory would have been a useful deterrent in a case similar to the "Blackhawk down" incident in Somalia in 1995.''

http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/041202-zap.htm

→ ''COOL TECH THIS WEEK: [2004]
They plans have been finalized, yet. But options include the Active Denial System – a microwave-like pain ray – and the earsplitting Long Range Acoustic Device, a sort of bullhorn on steroids.''
http://www.military.com/soldiertech/0,14632,Soldiertech_Cool102204,,00.html

Neutral Ireland's latest export?

check out the hangar

by Observer

Sat Feb 12, 2005 22:40

The SRS Hangar in the background was the final resting place of the U.S. Navy C-40A critical logisitcs support plane for the 6th Fleet, disarmed by Mary Kelly on Jan. 29th 2003, and again (after repair) 5 days later by the Pit stop Ploughshares community (warontrial.com)

Shannon Estuary Exclusion Zone?

by Edward Horgan

Sun Feb 13, 2005 10:57

See in the background, behind the SRS hanger, the waters of the Shannon River/Estuary where the Shannon boat people were arrested during the Bush visit on 24th June 2004, in a so-called excuslion zone. According to sworn Garda statements they were arrested in three different places miles apart at the same time, and later charged with breach of the public order act, in a public place, in an exclusion zone. They were also charged with entering an exclusion zone, but the Gardai/Police forgot to produce any evidence that they had entered the zone. Acquitted on all charges on 27th january 2005. If this made me a criminal under Irish law, I would have been proud to have been called an Irish criminal for peace.
Shannon airport, in a neutral country is an exclusion zone under international laws of neutrality, including the Hague Convention. All US soldiers, and US military and chartered aircraft passing through Shannon on their way to and from the war and occupation of Iraq, should be arrested by Irish police and interned, for being in breach of the Shannon airport neutrality exclusion zone. So far over 300,000 US troops have evaded arrest at Shannon. That makes 300,000 times the Gardai/police at Shannon airport have failed to do their duty.
This would not be very important, except that over 100,000 innocent people have died as a result.

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latest Shannon airport abuse

Comments (6 of 6)