Urgent appeal for practical support for Shannon Peace Camp

Monday November 18, 2002 20:56

by As do many many other ghosts

TO: all those who oppose Ireland's involvement in war

As you are aware Irish neutrality has been breached by the permission granted to the US airforce to use Irish airspace and land at Shannon airport while prosecuting its wars against countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

Regular monitoring at Shannon airport has revealed its almost daily use by
US forces to transport troops, cargo and war materials to and from its war
zones. We know also that the US airforce have no real need to use Irish
airports because their aircraft can be refueled in mid-air and they have
very adequate landing rights in NATO countries such as Britain, France,
Spain Portugal, etc, and bases in Greenland and Iceland. The decision to use

Irish airports therefore can only be justified by the US and Irish
governments as an means of ending Irish neutrality and getting neutral
countries such as Ireland behind the US war of resources in defence of US
national interests. The present Irish government appears to be conniving
with the US intentions and deliberately underming Irish neutrality in the
interests of maintaining the supply of US foreign direct investment. We are
selling Irish neutrality for 30 pieces of silver.

It is proposed to set up a permanent peace camp at Shannon along the lines
of the Greenham Common peace camp against US nuclear missiles in the UK.
There will be further protest meeting at Shannon on 8th December 2002 at
2pm, and it is hoped to begin the Peace Camp from that date. We urgently
need donations to get this camp established. If anyone either has a caravan
to donate or knows of where we could acquire one please let us know as soon
as possible. Alternatively, we will need to purchase a second hand caravan,
so any donations towards this purchase and the runing costs of the Peace
camp will be very welcome. Initially, donations can be sent to either Tim
Hourigan or Edward Horgan, and made payable to the Green Party, Limerick.

We ask you also to participate in this peace camp by volunteering to spend
time at the camp on a rota basis. We will welcome all visitors, but would
appreciate if volunteer participants in the camp would stay for a minimum of

24 hours on each occasion that they are available.

Please copy this email to as many potential supporters as possible.
War with Iraq has been onging with regular bombings by the USA and the UK
since the last war in 1991. Full scale war against Iraq is very likely to
occur again by March 2003 if not sooner. Tens of thousands of innocent
people will die. We the Irish people will be complicit in these crimes
against humanity unless we speak out as individuals and groups. The Shannon
Peace Camp is your opportunity to prove that no one has the right to kill
innocent people in your name.
Yours in Peace

Edward Horgan