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Search words: ploughshares Catholic Worker 5 sent foward to Kilrush Circuit Court, June 24th national |
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 Saturday May 17, 2003 17:02 by Damien Moran - Catholic Worker Movement pitstopploughshares at hotmail dot com +353-879184552
 Report of events from yesterday's appearance at Ennis District court
Before entering the courtroom, the Pit-Stop ploughshares group (Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon, Damien Moran, Ciaron O'Reilly) and some friends held a short prayer vigil in the car park, remembering the "Coalition of the Killing's" continuing onslaught against the Iraqi people and their resources. Prayers were also submitted reminding us that when criminal activity is legalised peacemaking is criminalised. The book of evidence was served by the State Prosecutor, Martin Leenane, albeit after he rushed back down to the local Garda Station to rectify the opening charge sheet. Following three and a half months hard graft over the casebook, he seemed willing to charge us only with criminal damage to the SRS Hangar, totally forgetting our disarmament of the US Navy plane!! Bizarre incompetence - or symptoms of sleep deprivation due to massive overtime spent defending the interests of our Imperial Overlords; you decide ... Nevertheless, it at least provided one humorous interlude during an otherwise educational insight into a renewed aggressive approach towards us by the State authorities. This began with a slanderous Irish Times front page political report by embedded journo Arthur Beasley on Wednesday May 14th. According to someone he variously described as a "well-informed individual" and an "unattributable source", the combined cost of repair of the US Navy warplane will be 4 million Euros. Furthermore, the two original libelous claims, that a Garda officer had been "assaulted" and "hospitalised", both refuted by a Guarda Press Office statement issued the same day, he now revives by means of the ambiguous euphemism that we "overpowered" a Garda. His report also implies that the Irish Government or Aer Rianta are likely to pick up the bill - an unsubtle hint to the taxpayers that the Government may wish to have them subsidise Ireland's complicity in the US war-machine's belligerent crimes against peace and humanity. Suspicion of this scheme is heightened by a title in today's Irish Independant - "Taxpayer's Bill for Jet Attack hits 4 Million Euros" - suggesting that Irish taxpayers will be held responsible for losses to the US-government. Meanwhile, questions raised in the Dail regarding any legal basis for the taxpayer to foot this bill have been studiously and repeatedly avoided by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Brian Cowen. The pre-trial hearing has been set for June 24th in Kilrush Circuit Court, Co. Clare {Please refer to map of Ireland}. We look forward to explaining our actions in court, and being acquitted while putting the war and the Irish government's complicity therein on trial. |
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Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5The Irish Times
May 17, 2003
HEADLINE: Cost of damage to US aircraft rises to E2.5m
BYLINE: By GORDON DEEGAN
The estimated cost of damage to a US navy aircraft in an alleged attack by five anti-war activists at Shannon Airport last February is now set at E2.5 million, five times the original estimate of E500,000, Ennis District Court was told yesterday.
Solicitor for the five, Mr Joe Noonan, told the court that given the gravity of the charge, he would be seeking senior counsel and junior counsel for his clients for their trial next month at Ennis Circuit Court.
He said: "Though not in the Book of Evidence, I am told by the State Solicitor that evidence will be adduced that the estimated cost of damage is now set at E2.5 million." He remarked: "The estimated costs of damage to the plane has been going up and down like a yo-yo." Yesterday, the Book of Evidence was served on the five: seminarian Mr Damien Moran (22), freelance editor Deirdre Clancy (32), US citizen Ms Nuin Dunlop (31), Mr Ciaran O'Reilly (42), and Scottish woman Ms Karen Fallon (30), who are all charged with the criminal damage of a US navy aircraft on February 4th at Shannon Airport.
Two of the five, Mr O'Reilly and Ms Dunlop wore black T-shirts in court yesterday with the words "Pit-Stop Ploughshares Disarm US War Plane, Shannon Airport, February 2003" on them. All five were returned for trial to Ennis Circuit Court on June 24th.
Along with the five members of the Catholic Workers' Movement, a sixth anti-war activist, Ms Mary Kelly (50), also appeared at Ennis District Court yesterday where she was also returned for trial to Ennis Circuit Court on June 24th after the Book of Evidence was served on her. Ms Kelly is charged with the criminal damage of the same aircraft on January 29th, five days prior to the alleged attack by the five Catholic Workers' Movement members.
In his legal aid application, Mr Noonan also sought senior counsel for Ms Kelly in her upcoming trial "given the gravity of the offence and her exposure to a potential ten year jail term".
He said: "It is a very major penalty hanging over my client." Though no figure of the estimated cost of damage was mentioned in court in relation to Ms Kelly's alleged attack on the same US navy aircraft, it is understood that the estimated cost is now around E1.5 million - the most recent estimate in court was according to gardai "in excess of E100,000".
In court yesterday, Judge Joseph Mangan refused Mr Noonan's request for senior counsel for his clients, agreeing to his legal aid application for junior counsel only. Mr Noonan also asked to have his six clients' bail conditions relaxed. The five members of the Catholic Workers' Movement have to sign on each day at designated Garda stations, while Ms Mary Kelly has to sign on three times a week at Skibbereen Garda station.
All applications to have bail conditions relaxed were refused. Currently all six remain banned from Co Clare but will return for their trial at Ennis Circuit Court on June 24th.
All six Shannon protestors, Mary Kelly and the five Catholic Workers, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon, Deirdre Clancy, Damian Moran and Ciaron O'Reilly need our support now
Gone are the heady days of a hundred thousand on the streets protesting against the war and the use of Shannon airport.
Instead they now encounter the bleak atmosphere of a country courtroom. Ennis was a dreary place calculated to drain away optimism and idealism and replace it with the rules of law, and order.
If you are an anti-war person and are reading this, please please don't let them down now. Don't let them be criminalised. They need support
desperately. Please let us stand by them.
As you sow.... so shall you reap. NWaaw, Haaaw, Haaaaw!
Surely this is an issue that the iawm must give urgent priority to. Whether you agree with direction or not these six people have to be defended .
What's going on here ? Six people angry that the Irish government is facilitating an illegal war do a bit of damage to a warplane.The American govt give the orders to the Irish government to crack down. The press whip up the cost of the damage -a million ?two million ? a billion? Who is making the estimate -somebody who works for Harburton or an ex employee of Enron perhaps?
So now these people are up on charges that could see them banged up for ten years. It all stinks of a big , state orchestrated frame - up.
We're not angry or desperate...but much appreciate your empathy and solidarity. We're ready to bring the disarmament witness into the courts in a spirit of nonviolence and truthtelling. Hopefully the jury will reach the same conclusion as the L:iverpool one in '96 when cnfronted by 4 women accused of over £2million disarmament to a british Aerospace Hawk Fighter (presently bombing Aceh) to be exported to the genocidal Indonesian military.
Happy East Timor Independence Day (today)
Who would have thought? then or now?
Peace & solidarity
Ciaron