Warplanes are a Violent Attack on Women

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday February 10, 2003 13:02 by Global Women's Strike Working Group Galway - Global Women's Strike maggie_ronayne at hotmail dot com 087 7838688

Calling All Women to Shannon to Globalise Neutrality!

The Global Women's Strike is entirely with the five activists from Catholic Worker who took action for all of us in further decommissioning a US naval plane, which illegally stopped to refuel at the civilian airport at Shannon. On behalf of women in Ireland and the communities who depend on our care, we demand the release of the two activists still remanded in prison. Warplanes are a key technology in a long-standing, violent, murderous war against women and children.

10th February 2003

Global Women's Strike

Warplanes are a Violent Attack on Women - Calling All Women to Shannon to Globalise Neutrality!

The Global Women's Strike is entirely with the five activists from Catholic Worker who took action for
all of us in further decommissioning a US naval plane, which illegally stopped to refuel at the civilian
airport at Shannon. On behalf of women in Ireland and the communities who depend on our care, we demand the
release of the two activists still remanded in prison.

Warplanes are a key technology in a long-standing, violent, murderous war
against women and children. Firstly, because in armed conflicts since World War Two,
90% of those killed and wounded by the likes of these warplanes are women and our children.

Secondly, because the building of these machines constitutes an attack on
women first of all, since the millions of dollars wasted in making them is money stolen first of all from women,
the poorer sex, money we need for the survival of our families and communities. Those of us who are rural women,
and first of all rural women of colour in countries of the global South, are the first to be deprived to pay for these
murderous machines. We are ignored and hidden by development planners. We must walk hours daily for water and fuel - our lives
and time counts for nothing. We in the countryside deprived of all the basics of life, working from before sunrise till after sunset,
are paying for this waste of resources with our lives. Those of us who are immigrants to cities seeking a better life well know
what is faced daily by the mothers and sisters we have left behind. Our lifetimes too are reduced to working time.

This violence against us pays for the weapons of war and violence they impose. The dismantling of war machines is nothing less than an action
against violence against women, and for all women.

The action of the Irish State in moving the army into Shannon and attempting
to evict the peace camp is a declaration of war on the women, children and
men of Iraq, on all of us here in Ireland and on everyone in the world. It is a further breach of the Irish constitution, which enshrines the
State's neutrality in the event of war. It can only mean the complicity of this government and its security forces in any war crimes that result
from a US-led war on Iraq.

The Global Women's Strike in Ireland, taking action with grassroots women in
over 60 countries, is calling women to join a women's Strike caravan to Shannon on the 8th of March to demand that the $900+ billion dollars a year
in global military budgets now paid for with death and destruction not be wasted on more death and destruction. We demand that it is invested instead
in the care of every single precious life and of our planet, beginning with women the bringers of new life and the carers of every life.

Refuseniks in Israel are a point of reference for security forces personnel worldwide in refusing to kill Palestinian women, children and men on behalf of
US/Israeli imperialism. We call on the soldiers in the Irish army and the gardai to refuse to do the work of protecting the killing machines and participating
in war and war crimes.

The vast majority of people in Ireland are building our movement alongside the vast majority of the world's population who oppose war. The Irish government is
isolated with the warmongers who themselves have the most weapons of mass destruction. Women globally say No War.

These weapons of war and poverty must be destroyed by any means necessary. We condemn the decision of some who claim to be against war but who distance themselves from the
women and men who acted against these weapons, for us and for life.

Invest in Caring Not Killing!
Women Globally Say No War!
Women in Ireland Say Globalise Neutrality!

Global Women's Strike Working Group, Galway

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The Global Women's Strike in Ireland is co-ordinated by the Wages for
Housework Campaign In Galway, Tel: 087 7838688. Email
maggie_ronayne@hotmail.com

INTERNATIONAL CO-ORDINATION:
International Wages for Housework Campaign
WinWages (Women's International Network for Wages for Caring Work)
Women of Colour WinWages
230A Kentish Town Road, London NW5 2AB, England
Tel: +44-20-7482 2496 Fax: +44-20-7219 4761
Email: womenstrike8m@server101.com

Website: http://womenstrike8m.server101.com

Co-ordination of men's support:
Payday - a network of men Contact London address. E-mail:
payday@paydaynet.org