The State Want To Drag The Ploughshares Kicking And Screaming To Court

by Elaine Fri Sep 16, 2005 05:21

I don't want to be part of your revolution.

The One And Only Mister Paul O'Toole

Dunk And Ciaron Raise A Glass To Peace ( Ahimsa Sez Dunk - Bless You Sez Ciaron )

The Joint Is Jumpin'

Leapin' Around

Conscience Calling - Time To Act

by Elaine Fri Sep 16, 2005 05:27

.

Can I Get An 'Amen' To That?

by Elaine Fri Sep 16, 2005 05:37

I need sleep

Joe Black Also Did A Turn On The Stage But I Didn't Get A Photo So Here's One I Made Earlier

by Ciaron - DCW/PSP Fri Sep 16, 2005 15:14 087 918 4552

Many thanx to all who turned out last night, the
Ploughshares Defence Fund raised €450 from the
evening. Money raised will go to witness expenses and outreach surrounding our retrial on October 24th. at Dublin's Four Courts.

Since disabling the U.S. Navy War Plane at Shannon Airport much has happened. All the lies spun to justify Irish participation in the illegal U.S.
invasion of Iraq have been long exposed - WMD,
decreasing terror, "exporting democracy to the Middle East". Since being released from Limerick Prison the Pit Stop Ploughshares have remained on bail and proactive against Irish participation in it. As the war has escalated, the mainstream peace movement has largely evaporated in Ireland. The mainstream political parties & NGO's (with memberhip & resources) who surfed the wave of the mass pre-war movement have
not remained proactive. There remains a few hold out affinity groups of activists around Shannon, Galway & Derry but very few who are prioritizing organising around the war. Meanwhile, Shannon's contribution to the war effort has doubled in the past two years to an average 25,000 U.S. troops a month.

In this context, the state has started to move against radicals. The recent detention and deportation of a Texan nonviolence trainer in Australia, the FBI overkill recharging of the St. Patricks Day 4 in New York with four felonies and the continued prosecution of the Pit Stop Ploughshares after a mistrial in March
are a few examples.

The legal system is designed to isolate, scare, crush the resister. What has sustained us suspended on bail for the last 2 1/2 years have been the folks who have stuck with us and expressed their solidarity. The fidelity of Paul O'Toole who has equipped all of our gigs and Pat the piano man who commutes from Clare to
the gigs are examples of folks who have provided us with long term sustenance.. Solidarity as we head to trial on October 24th is much appreciated.

Many thanx to Joe Black, Liam from Whirlygig, Paul, Pat & Tony, Prison's Love Mark, Barry and accapella comrades for last nights gig. Many thanx to friends from the punk, church, work, gay, grassroots, peace, Afri communities & scenes who turned out.

Hoping y'all will consider accompanying us over the next 5 weeks to trial.

by Michael Fri Sep 16, 2005 17:33

A few thoughts as we come closer to the retrial:

CW5 and Law and Order

What the CW5 did at SNN wasn't an act of Civil Disobedience. The Rossport 5 are engaged in CD. While the CW5 also openly challenged (or "spoke truth to") power in their nonviolent act, they didn't need to challenge any laws.

Indeed, the law is unavoidably clear: There are circumstances under which it is excusable, justifiable, or even necessary as a citizen to damage the property of another. Without even entering into the International Law stuff -- the Nuremberg Principles, the UN Charter, and all that -- we see that the CW5 acted well within the law.

The defence need only give notice at the start of the trial to the court that they say that they had a lawful excuse to cause the damage they did -- and AUTOMAGICALLY -- the prosecution must make the case (beyond the balance of probability) that actually they didn't.

How, I wonder, could the prosecution prove beyond the balance of probability that the CW5 were NOT acting "in order to protect [themselves] or another ...and the act or acts alleged to constitute the offence were reasonable in the circumstances as [they] believed them to be".

(NON-FATAL OFFENCES AGAINST THE PERSON ACT, 1997 SECTION 21)

Since 1997 there's no "immediacy" requirement for this "lawful excuse" defence (see http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA26Y1997S21.html).

There was never any requirement in the law to behave like a hypothetical "reasonable person". So the reasonable-ness of their actions depends on their (subjective) beliefs of the circumstances at the time. There's no limit to what "circumstances" can mean -- what was going on at SNN, what was going on in Washington, London, and in the Middle East. The 1991 Act says that the CW5 could have been completely wrong in their beliefs (say, the US Navy aircraft was actually just a movie prop, and SNN a film studio), and it wouldn't make a bit of difference. They only need to be honestly held beliefs, that's all.

Good luck my friends!! If you could only get a judge who isn't a government stooge - you'll put the war on trial, you'll win your case, and you'll help the Irish people wake up, wake up, wake up!

by Damien - Pitstop Ploughshares/Dublin Catholic Worker Fri Sep 16, 2005 18:50

What a bummer! Just as I was about to post this comment the editors took down Noel's politically astute comment, 'What a load of wankers'......
It's good that such crap content-less comments are taken down. Noel, if you want to criticise us please put in a little effor rather than doing a hit and run. I promise ya we'll wear ya down with our patience to tolerate abusive comments. Just mix in a little bit of politics and shed some light/shite as to where you are comin from (armchair cynicism) and where you are going (probably to the land of passive aggressiveness)!

So, hope ye don't mind lads (Indy Editors) if I respond to him anyhow?

NoeI, with your comment I presume you are not talking about the FF/PD junta who have made us complicit in the deaths and maiming of thousands in the Gulf?

Maybe you are a hurling supporter (Cork) and pissed at the GAA ticket cock-up last week leaving one thousand or so seats vacant?

Or else you may be talking about a German couple whom i met when I was just 15 years of age and working with hire cruisers on the river Shannon? I used to demonstrate for tourists how to drive/maintain their boat during a river trip. The above mentioned German couple were on their honeymoon and I almost fell into the river from laughter when they told me their names: Mr. and Mrs. Gerhardt and Sofia Wanker!
I kid you not.

Oh, and by the way, the more popular phrase is
'a bunch of wankers'.

Feel free to pop by the GPO any Monday from 4-6pm when we hold our anti-war vigil and let us know your sentiments.

Maybe you were already there last week disguised as a 'chugger' (charity mugger).
If not, let me tell you that in my eyes they are a proper 'load of wankers'.

Anyhow, the Ploughshares are organising a public meeting 'The War Comes Home' in Halla Ide, Limerick city on Friday September 23rd at 7.30pm.
Tim Hourigan will speak on the CIA's 'Extraordinary Renditions' programme and how Shannon is been used as a transit point for torture jets in breach of national and international law.

See related stories:
Peace Activists call for govt to come clean on CIA at Shannon
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=71975
Shannon Torture and War Planes
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=71989

Ploughshares defendant Ciaron O'Reilly will reflect on past examples of nonviolent resistance to war and how non- violent direct action is the neccessary and best response to a war which has now come home to the West.

More info will be posted in the Events section soon.

p.s. 'Wankers Against the War' is an attempt at humour and not an swp front.