As the US military continues to use Shannon airport to refuel enroute to Afghanistan, anti-war groups have converged on the outfields and the infields, with one person running into the path of a US warplane. 2 arrests were made as protestors ripped down fencing and were tackled by Gardaí.
Full report and photos from one of the protests on saturday 15th December.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern illegally sanctioned the use of Shannon airport without the consent of the Dáil or People of Ireland. This directly contravenes Article 28.3.1 of the Irish Constitution, which reads: "War shall not be declared and the State Shall not participate in any war save with the assent of Dáil Eireann". US military forces have been using Shannon at least as early as September 30th. One of the first peace vigils was held on 25th september.

Audio: reports of Shannon protests and Irish Anti-war movement speeches.
Photo montages:
1 Shannon PEACE protesters confront US Marines
2 Irish Anti War Movement at Shannon 
3 World airlines plane carrying US marines in background while gardaí tackle protesters
4 World airlines plane refuel at night

Video: Peace protesters confront US Marines

Ireland is gearing up for an unprecedented burst of Anti-War activity in December. Here is a digest of recent stories on the IMC Ireland Newswire.

• Belfast Demo 7th December
• Limerick Public Anti-War Meeting
• Dublin Public Meeting
• Home of the Brave Re-write/ Code Pink Alert
• Raytheon Vigil 7th December
• Dublin Anti-War Demo 7th December
• Global Womens Strike Call to Action
• Basic Statistics for US Imperialism
• US to attack Iraq whatever happens
• Why did Ireland vote yes to UN Resolution 1441
• Shut Shannon Warport Dec 8th
• Call for Direct Action at Shannon
• How to get to Shannon Protest
• Shannon Peace Camp appeal for Support
• Taxpayers pay for Military Overflights/refuelling
• Councillors defend US Military Use of Shannon Airport
• Eoin Dubsky's Upcoming Court Case
• Standard Grassroots Gathering VS Irish Anti-War Movement Bunfight
• All the Background you need from Tim Hourigan

Caoimhe Butterly was shot in the leg by soldiers firing live ammunition in the Jenin refugee camp this morning. A British UN Official was also shot dead. This is the second time Caoimhe has been injured this year by the Israeli Defence Forces. She is in Palestine acting as a human rights monitor as are several other Irish Citizens.

IMC Ireland has published a lot of personal accounts from Irish citizens who have travelled to Palestine in Solidarity with the Palestinian people over the last few days and months. Some of the most up to date are linked to below. More complete information on the Irish Volunteers in Palestine, some of whom have been deported in the last couple of weeks, can be found at the website of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Interview with Caoimhe Today link
Old Observer profile of Caoimhe link
Mid-November report on re-invasion of Jenin Accounts from Tracey and Peter from Gluaiseacht (1) (2) (3)
Accounts from Mary Kelly (1) (2) (3)
Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign

An event of gypsy and world music cancelled by Taylor's bar, in Galway, on racist grounds went ahead in Richardson's pub in mid November with many musicians and activists from different groups taking part. Organisers report that, "We went to the door of Taylor's bar to inform people that the event had been relocated. "Some people asked the management why it had been cancelled. We are willing to hear the responses they got and to have a meeting to try to reach consensus as to what actions must follow on grounds of Taylor's response. It is clear to us that a public acknowledgement that a mistake has been made and a willingness to host similar events (without censoring the mention of gypsies travellers or activists) would be acceptable. Otherwise the issue will be brought to the equality authority."
Read Full Article
Background to story Anita Dolinska Discussion of Romani rights in Europe Index of Romani Activist Groups in Europe etc.

The Garda Compaints Board held a press conference about their "Reclaim The Streets" investigation and told the assembled journalists about the difficulties they experienced in trying to get to the bottom of the matter, with Gardai failing to identify their colleagues and generally refusing to assist the work of the inquiry. Media reports are focusing on this particular issue, and once again radio call-in shows are full of discussions about the rights and wrongs of what happened on that day and the continuing fallout.

But there are many unanswered questions that are for all purposes being ignored by most journalists. It seems as if the latest information from the Complaints Board raises more questions than it answers. The problem of the extremely limited powers of the board to compel witnesses or take serious action, raised when Indymedia reported on the establishment of the investigation, has not gone away.

* Breaking news report.
* Full report.