Irish Times: Ten arrested at Shannon Airport protest

national | miscellaneous | news report

Saturday March 01, 2003 18:13

by Irish Times

Ten arrested at Shannon Airport protest

Ten arrested at Shannon Airport protest

Last updated: 01-03-03, 17:04
http://www.ireland.com/

Ten people have been arrested by gardaí this afternoon at the anti-war demonstration at Shannon Airport. A number of those detained are
understood to have been arrested following minor scuffles in the crowd.

The protesters are demonstrating at the continued use by American military forces of the facilities at Shannon Airport. The ten people
arrested have been taken to Garda stations in Shannon and at Ennis.

Organisers said they expected several thousand at the demonstration and blamed a turnout of about 500 people on adverse media coverage.

Seven checkpoints were mounted in the area and hundreds of extra gardai and members of the defence forces were drafted in to police the
demonstration.

Several political parties withdrew support from the demonstration following media reports of the intentions of Anti-war group, the Grassroots Network Against War (GNAW) which called on people to take part in a "mass non-violent civil disobedience" and stage a "mass
trespass."

Mr Chekhov Feeney, a Dublin member of GNAW, described it as "mass non-violent civil disobedience".

The Defence Forces erected a six-foot high razor wire fence yesterday evening inside the existing perimeter fence as part of a massive security operation to prevent protesters from breaching security.

Richard Boyd Barrett, director of the Irish Anti-War Movement, said the proposed breach of security by the Grassroots Network was a distraction from real issues of the protest. "I think it has been blown out of proportion," said Mr Boyd Barrett. "It is helping to detract attention from the real issues, including the fact that the government is supporting the US war effort by allowing planes to refuel at Shannon."

Political parties yesterday distanced themselves from the protest with the Labour Party, the Green Party, Sinn Féin and Trócaire, deciding to stay away from the protest amid concerns about possible violent confrontations with the Gardaí and the Defence Forces.

Two of the main organisations involved in the anti-war movement have opted to stay away from this afternoon's protest at Shannon airport while the third, the Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM), was to attend.

The Peace Alliance and the Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA) with around 100 people attended a prayer vigil outside the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin at 2 p.m. They, with Trócaire, organised the anti-war march in Dublin on February 15th, attended by an estimated 100,000 people.