Aer Rianta continues to harass Shannon peace monitors.

national | miscellaneous | news report Sunday October 06, 2002 15:45 by Tim Hourigan - Refueling Peace, Gluaiseacht, L4C, Green Party tim_hourigan at hotmail dot com

Peaceful plane-spotting gets them thrown out of the airport.

Four times in the past week or so citizens of this country have been expelled from Shannon airport while witnessing the illegal transit of foreign military personnel and hardware. Ejected, barred, car clamped, dragged into a van and driven out by the airport 'police'. And the serious crime that warrants this? Possession of a camera, binoculars and notebook. It seems Aer Rianta doesn't like publicity about the illegal use of Shannon airport, and doesn't mind abusing its power to stop it being reported. I think Inspectors O'Grady and Martin will get my gold star for petty harrassment. Oh, and moral cowardice. When told they might be called as witnesses in the high court, both of these grown men reused to turn around to see the aircraft or troops.

We're about as democratic as we are neutral.
which is to say... not very.

Very early one morning Conor Cregan, from Shannon town was sitting in the otherwise empty viewing gallery of Shannon airport.
He was noting the arrival of ATA L-1011s and was ejected from the gallery by three members of airport 'police' (who are not actually Garda Siochana)

He was dragged out, put in van and driven out to the industrial estate and told if he returned within 24 hours he would be arrested.

A couple of days later, he was ejected from the gallery again.

I went out with him about 2 days later. We went up to the viewing gallery at the airport. No one else was there. We had notebooks, pens and binoculars.
We watched planes come and go, took details, and waited.
At 11:30 we were asked to leave. For once it was a polite request, and we complied at once.

We continued our observations on a road at the back of the airport. This is parallel to the runway and about 50 feet from it. it is not part of the airport grounds, and the airport 'police' have no authority there.

The yellow vans did their patrols and spotted us sitting there with our notebooks. they came closer, blidning us with the spotlight, even though the headlights were enough to see us by.
They didn't speak, neither to ask us anything or reply to our questions.
Shortly after this we were visited by the real police. usual routine.
"Right lads, names, address etc, what are ye doing, what organisation are ye representing"
they repeated the illegality of jumping the fence. We assured them we had no intention of doing so. (would we be so obvious about it anyway?) When asked about the illegality of the planes, and article 28, they gave no reply other than, "there's only one police force in this country" (Gda, Kevin Cunningham)

This became a nightly routine, with different Gardai and even a Det. Sgt vsiting us. Some even had a look through our telescope at a US NAVY DC-9-33.

That morning we went into the viewing Gallery for a closer look at an MD-11 belonging to World Airways. We got two visits from an apparently mute security guard.
Then as we were leaving for the 8am bus home 3 of them appeared, two taller men flanking Aer Rianta Inspector Joseph Grady.

They asked us to leave (which we were already doing) and told us that it was illegal to take pictures in the viewing gallery! I argues that every one takes photos in the viewing gallery.
"Not if I see them doing it" said O'Grady.
"I've never seen you stop anyone else" I replied.
I told Mr. O Grady that this amounted to petty abuse, and the real issue was that Aer Rianta is embarrassed about the illegal use of the airport, and does not want us publicising it.

Mr. O'Grady repeated his 'order' to leave.
I asked him what he thought of article 28 of the constitution, he made no reply.
I then asked him what he would say in the High Court if asked about the large white MD-11 full of troops behind him.
He refused to turn around. He said he hadn't seen the plane, and was "NOT GOING TO TURN AROUND TO LOOK AT IT". ...This from a grown man in a uniform.
They followed us down, but took a different elevator. Two of them followed our bus
in their 'police' car AP 10.
When we took their photos out of the bus window they covered their faces (and I wasn't using a flash, so I assume it was because of shame)

On Friday night we did the usual routine, out by the back. We had been in the viewing gallery for hours earlier on, and had been visited by airport security a few times, but they said nothing.
We assumed they had perhaps decided to be more reasonable. We were wrong.

When a L-1011 belonging to American Trans Air landed at 4:25 AM Conor and Aisling drove to the terminal to get some pictures of the troops as they got off the plane.
I stayed with the telescope, counting the troops
(about 120 in all, wearing desert camo /khaki uniforms)
After a while I became worried that the other two hadn't returned.
the finally came back about 6:30 just after the MD-11ER carrying the SECOND load of troops landed.
Aisling explaing that they were in the viewing gallery, had no visits from security, but when they left, Aisling's car had been clamped.

True, it was in a limo car park. But, it was before 5 AM, about 10 empty spaces, and there were three other priavte cars parked there NOT clamped.
There was no need to clamp the car, there was no warning to the owner. (And they knew where she was)
It was just SPITEFUL. Aer Rianta again abusing the bye-laws just to harass the people who are trying to expose the illegal use of the airport.

Aisling paid the fine, got the clamp removed and we went back to the airport together to get pictures of the second lot of troops (on World Airways Md-11ER registration N277WA)

We weren't there long when the rent-a-cop brigade came over telling us to leave as we were "taking photos of the fence" which was bad for security.
I denied this of course.
"i'm not taking photos of the fence. i'm taking photos of that plane and the troops. I've no need to take photos of the fence, security out here is pathetic anyway."
I took some zoom shots of the troops, making sure not to include the fence. And we decided to call it a day.

As we were leaving 'Police Inspector' Martin arrived in the 'squad car' and very bullishly ordered us off the premises.
He said the car-park was a restricted area.
We asked where the sign was. He said "I'm designating it a restricted area now"
he told us to leave and not return for 24 hours or else we'd be arrested.
Again we protested this abuse of power.
The actions of the airport security are motivated not by legitimate concerns for security but to cover up the illegal actions of their employers.
I asked Inspector Martin about article 28. He refused to answer, even when I asked him if he was aware of the serious nature of breaching the Irish constitution (compared with a petty bye-law).
When I asked him what he'd say in the High Court
he refused to turn around and look at either the troops or the aircraft. None of his footsoldiers would either.

That says a lot about them.
They may have the uniforms, and a bit of power, but they seem scared to admit what is going on.
I'd be tempted to let them arrest me for taking notes, just to see if these drachonian airport bye-laws would hold up in court.

Anybdy else want to check out the truth behind Shannon? You're welcome to come down and check it out with us. This situation needs more publicity, and more people seeing it for themselves.

Don't forget the demo on Sat 12th. I'll be there if I'm not sleeping, having been up the night before plane-spotting.