120 armed troops to Shannon tomorrow

STOP THE WAR

Michael Smith (Defence Minister) today confirmed 120 armed troops will provide 24-hour security for US war planes on the way to the Gulf - so much for neutralith - the Irish army is now directly involved in the war. Ireland.com article below

Smith sends soldiers to guard US planes landing in Shannon
By Patrick Logue Last updated: 04-02-03, 14:48

The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, has confirmed 120 armed troops will provide 24-hour security to US military planes landing at Shannon Airport on their way to the Gulf.

The soldiers will be deployed tomorrow, to provide back-up to the Garda, Mr Smith said after a meeting with the Ministers for Transport and Justice this morning. The three ministers also briefed a Cabinet meeting on the issue.

A Garda spokesman said senior officers met with Army authorities in Shannon earlier this morning to discuss the logistics of deploying troops at the airport.

The Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, called for military help yesterday after five peace activists allegedly breached the perimeter fence at Shannon, broke into a hangar and damaged a US military plane.

The plane was being repaired after €500,000 worth of damage was caused in an earlier attack by another peace activist brandishing a hatchet.

Mr Smith told RTÉ that suggestions soldiers may be able to open fire were "absolutely absurd".

"There is no question of opening fire," he said. "That's an absolutely absurd exaggeration of how security is done in this country."

He said the Army would help gardaí patrol the perimeter fences and hangars. Mr Smith said the move was not an overreaction. "We will be supporting the Garda Síochána to make sure that Shannon remains peaceful," he said.

"People are entitled to protest. It is a fundamental aspect to our democracy, but they do not have the right to damage property and they do not have the right to label themselves as peace campaigners when they carry out those sort of actions".

Last night, a US State Department spokesman said it had conveyed its "serious concerns to the Government about security at Shannon, and we have agreed to work with the Government to solve this problem".

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, has been accused of exaggerating the scale of yesterday's incident after he wrongly claimed that a garda had to be taken to hospital afterwards.

Condemning the attackers, Mr Brennan said the garda had "wound up" in hospital after five protesters broke into the hangar housing the US aircraft shortly after 4 a.m. yesterday.

Questioned on this point, the Garda Press Office said the garda had been overpowered: "He tried to stop them damaging the place. He had no physical injuries. He did not go to hospital, but he was seen by a doctor".