On 3rd February 2003, as part of ongoing resistance at Shannon Airport, the Pitstop Ploughshares disarmed a US warplane. Within the month, three of the four companies contracted at the time to ferry US troops and weapons had left Ireland.

The trial began on Monday March 7th and is expected to last for just over a week. Watch this space for daily updates as things progress:

Day Six:The presiding judge discharged the jury for undisclosed reasons this morning and ordered a retrial. Defendants to appear in Four Courts Tuesday 10.30 am for new trial date
-Threre will be no peace walk from the spire. read more here

Day Five:I'm afraid this will be rather a short report as the trial thus far today has involved legal argument in the absense of the jury. Under these circumstances, it not possible to give details of the submissions put forward by the defence. Sub judice, and so on.Read more here

Day Four:
Defendant Ciaron O'Reilly took the stand and began to describe his backround, with special attention as to how it affected his belief that the actions on February 3rd were justified. He was repeatedly interrupted by the judge, who severely restricted his testimony. ...Read More

Day Three:"A legal controversy arose when the defense asked that a number of photographs of war-injured children and two documentaries about destruction in Iraq be admitted into evidence."

Day Two: The defense attorneys stated that the case revolved around "the reckless damage being wrought on a defenseless population," the prosecution made no effort to restrict this line of defense".

Day One: "That could really read 'Day Zero', because nothing much happened down there at the Four Courts..." Read the report and details of solidarity actions down under here and here.

Every (court) day:

• Supporters Gather at The Spire,O'Connell St. from 9am
• Peace Walk to Court, 10am
• Vigil to Remember The War Dead, Four Courts, 10.30am onwards

Flashback: Original Report of the CW5 Action

(Ireland, 12th March 2005) Forty people in Dublin, sixty in Belfast, fifteen in Galway and twenty in Derry gathered to express their solidarity with 42 Basque Youth activists of the Basque pro-independence left youth organizations Jarrai, Haika and Segi and who have been brought to courts in Madrid for a show trial and who are facing a total of 654 years in prison for their political work defending Basque youth rights and Basque Country's right to self-determination.

The judge and the state prosecution allege that "these organizations are all ETA".

Trials against the political party Batasuna, two anti-repression organizations, two newspapers, one magazine, a publishing house, etc. are to follow. All these organizations and media have been banned in the last 7 years.

Judge Garzon became famous worldwide for his attempt to extradite Chile's former dictator Augusto Pinochet from London to Spain a few years ago, but he looks elsewhere when Basque detainees are brought in front of him covered in bruises or with signs of deep psychological shock after the customary five day incommunicado period of interrogation (4 Basque detainees have died in police custody since Spanish "democracy" began).