Irish Australian Peace Activist Calls for Anti-War Reception for Prime Minister Howard

national | anti-war / imperialism | news report Wednesday May 17, 2006 14:51 by IndyNews

Australian peace activist, Ciaron O'Reilly, today called for a strong anti-war reception for Australian Prime Minister John Howard when he visits Ireland in the next few days. Prime Minister Howard arrives in Ireland this weekend and is due to address the Dail on Tuesday. Mr. O'Reilly, and four other members of the pacifist Catholic Worker Movement, await a third trial at Dublin's Four Courts on July 5th. for disabling a U.S. war plane at Shannon Airport in the 2003 lead up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Ciaron O'Reilly

O'Reilly presently visiting family in Australia stated "John Howard is the chief cheerleader for the U.S. President Bush's illegal war in Iraq. He comes directly to Ireland from being feted by Bush and Rumsfield at the White House and Pentagon. Howard has deployed Australian troops to Iraq and Afghanistan and supplies targeting information for U.S. attacks n Iraq from the U.S. National Security Agency's Pine Gap base, near Alice Springs.

Ireland remains one of the few European countries proactively supporting the U.S. invasion of Iraq through daily refueling of U.S. planes carrying troops to Iraq through Shannon Airport. Other European countries such as Italy and Spain, initially involved in the U.S. war effort, have reassessed and are withdrawing co-operation in response to the will of their people.

Both Bertie Ahern and John Howard have been complicit in a war that is escalating and expanding. The war has reduced global security and contributed to a rise in terrorism. Most of the U.S. troops killed in Iraq would have passed through Ireland to their deaths. Both Ahern and Howard administrations complement their complicity in the war effort with a hostile reception to refugees fleeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The initial links between Ireland and Australia are ones born of oppression and transportation. Historically, the Irish Australian relationship has contributed greatly to struggles for peace and justice at home and abroad. It is peace and justice we should be sharing with Iraqis and Afghanis not exporting occupation troops, war and death dealing. Prime Minister Howard needs to be reminded of these historic values on his visit to Ireland"

Contact Ciaron O'Reilly
Landline 0061 7 33 550384
Mobile 0061 432 023 188