IAWM invites Legal Professionals to meeting 8th Nov.

national | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Thursday October 30, 2003 19:55

by IAWM - - Legal SubCommittee

info at irishantiwar dot org

P.O. Box 9260, Dublin 1.

Please spread the word to legal professionals who would be interested

It was resolved at the recent AGM of the IAWM

"to establish an expert legal committee (either independently organised or in affiliation) to advise the movement on legal strategies to advance its aims"

these broadly being to hold the Irish Government accountable to Law, to end Irish participation in wars abroad and reverse the increasing militarisation and repression at home.

We therefore invite all interested legal professionals to attend a meeting at The Teachers Club, 36 Parnell Sq. Dublin 1, at 2pm on Saturday 8th November 2003, to discuss and launch this initiative.

See below for full details of event.

N.B. this is an extraordinary meeting intended only for qualified legal professionals - following the discussion a full account of the proceedings will be published here.

From: Irish Anti-War Movement
To: Legal Professionals

Dear Sir/Madam,

as you may be aware, the Irish Anti-War Movement ( http://irishantiwar.org/ ) was established in 2001 as an umbrella organisation through which the general Irish opposition to the recent wars could be focused. It was instrumental in preparing for the Feb.15 2003 international day of protest against the impending barbarism, which saw the historic turnout of over 100,000 throng the streets of Dublin.

Despite the massive public dissent and many protests and actions at Shannon Airport and elsewhere, the current Government has continued with its illegal policy in the service of foreign belligerents. It is now admitted that approximately 150,000 US troops transited Shannon in the past year, accompanied by thousands of tonnes of heavy munitions of war, including internationally banned weapons, all completely unchecked by any Irish authority.

The fond myth of Ireland's 'neutrality' imploded ( see 'Horgan v Ireland' - transcripts at http://gluaiseacht.net/extpages/legal/ ) as the country became a 'stealth' participant in the recent aggressions against Afghanistan and Iraq, with Shannon Airport a significant US-military logistics hub for the assault in both cases.

In view of the above, and the overt intention of the Government to further pursue the warmonger's agenda, the Movement recognises the need to diversify tactics and re-intensify activity in order to increase effectiveness. Hence, it was resolved at the Annual General Meeting of the Irish Anti-War Movement, held on Saturday 28th Sept 2003 in Dublin,

"to establish an expert legal committee (either independently organised or in affiliation) to advise the movement on legal strategies to advance its aims"

these broadly being to hold the Irish Government accountable to Law, to end Irish participation in wars abroad and reverse the increasing militarisation and repression at home.

We are therefore pleased to invite you (or a nominated representative) to attend a meeting of legal professionals at The Teachers Club, 36 Parnell Sq. Dublin 1, at 2pm on Saturday 8th November 2003, to discuss and launch this initiative.

Please see programme below and reply ASAP to confirm attendance, as a larger hall may be necessary. Also, remember to arrive early as the doors will close at 14:00h on the dot. This invitation has been sent to all Irish barristers and solicitors with a public e-mail address - those inaccessible via e-mail are also warmly invited, and we ask you to inform them and pool transport to the event.

Yours sincerely, on behalf of the IAWM,

Robin Hennessy..(Tlf: 01-853.52.98)
Owen Rice.......(Tlf: 085-739.52.88)

Contact info@irishantiwar.org
Or......P.O. Box 9260, Dublin 1.

Programme of the Meeting

Commences @ 2pm sharp,

Duration Subject Presented by
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 min Introduction Robin Hennessy

20 min Review of Irish War and Law Tim Hourigan (Warplanespotter)
Historical background, recent intensification and current state of Ireland’s war participation - public reactions and responses of legal system from an activist’s perspective.

20 min Briefing on 'Horgan v Ireland' Joe Noonan (Solicitor)
A critical analysis of the landmark High Court case taken against the State in 2003 to injunct against the use of Shannon by foreign military forces. Who, how, wherefore, whereto?

20 min Alternative Visions of the Future Owen Rice (Indymedia/IAWM)
An exposition of the planned ‘Internal Security Colony’ balanced against the struggle for freedom, sovereignty, social justice and public accountability.

20 min International Law and ‘crimes’ of Conscience Brendan Nix (SC for Mary Kelly)
Summary of development of IL and its application in Irish Courts. Outlook for future use of Nuremberg Defence et al.

60 min Discussion of Points, Formation of Task-Teams Robin Hennessy
Bring suggestions – much work to do, volunteers rush forward and assign selves into task-specific workgroups.

30 min Tea + Cake + Coffee Old Mother Hubbard
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------