Clare - Event Notice
Thursday January 01 1970

Anti-war demo in Shannon to 'greet' Bush as he lands

clare | anti-war / imperialism | event notice

Thursday June 03, 2004 03:19

by Anti-War Ireland

info at antiwarireland dot org

087 1258325

No to Bush and no to war!

An anti-war demonstration will meet George W. Bush as soon as he lands on Irish soil on Friday evening, June 25th. Assembling at 7pm in Shannon town centre.

Anti-war demonstrators will march on Shannon airport as Bush arrives in Ireland

George W. Bush will be met by a series of anti-war demonstrations when in arrives in Ireland at the end of June. Anti-War Ireland, a broad-based national alliance of anti-war groups, has called a demonstration for Friday evening, 25 June, to protest at the presence of the US president as he arrives in the country. This will be followed by another demonstration on Saturday, which will be organised by Ambush2004 and supported by Anti-War Ireland. The following are the main events of the planned weekend of protest at Shannon:

Friday evening, 25 June: An Anti-War Ireland demonstration will assemble at 7pm at Shannon town centre before marching to the airport. The intention is to be at the airport as George W. Bush arrives on Irish soil. It is also intended in equal measure as a protest against the integration of Shannon airport into the US war machine. Buses will travel to this demonstration from Dublin, Cork, Galway, and other areas. Organised by Anti-War Ireland, the demonstration will be supported by the Dublin Grassroots Network and Ambush2004.

Saturday, 26 June: A parade for peace will be held from Bunratty to Shannon to oppose the presence of George W. Bush and to highlight our opposition to the refuelling of US warplanes at Shannon aiport. This demonstration will assemble in Bunratty at 12pm before heading towards Shannon. The parade for peace will be lively, with musicians, street performers and artists making it a colourful event. Places will be provided in cars and mini-buses at the rear of the procession for older and very young protesters. Organised by Ambush2004, and supported by Anti-War Ireland.

There will be other anti-war events also, including a 'Critical Mass' cycle from Dublin to the Friday evening demonstration in Shannon. We expect many people to stay in the area for the two days and have sent out a call for international anti-war activists to travel to County Clare for the duration of Bush's visit.

According to Dr Fintan Lane, convenor of Anti-War Ireland: "We expect thousands of people to turn out for the protests against Bush when he arrives in this country. The majority of Irish people opposed the invasion of Iraq from the very beginning and that anti-war sentiment still prevails. Fianna Fail and the PDs have behaved appallingly and have ignored the majority opinion in the country on this issue. The 100,000 people who marched in Dublin on February 15th last year were treated with utter contempt by the Government, which continues to facilitate the US war machine at Shannon airport. Anti-War Ireland will be focusing strongly on the misuse of Shannon airport and as far as we are concerned these demonstrations will be as much about Irish complicity as the presence of Bush. We want an immediate end to the transit of US troops through Shannon."

"We decided to protest at Shannon airport because we want Bush to be greeted with protests as he lands on Irish soil, and because we want to focus attention on the integration of Shannon airport into the US war machine. More than 125,000 US troops passed through Shannon last year and we can be fairly sure than at least some of those subsequently engaged in human rights abuses in Iraq. The Irish Government has made Ireland complicit in this illegal and immoral occupation, and it has blood on its hands. The fact that anti-war activists such as Mary Kelly and the Catholic Worker Five are before the courts is another consequence of Irish complicity and we believe that the charges against these people should be dropped immediately."

"We expect large numbers to attend the anti-Bush protests in County Clare and we want him to return home with a clear understanding of the depth of Irish opposition to his warmongering. We are calling on people to travel to Shannon for 7pm on Friday, June 25th, to make their voices heard as Bush touches down on Irish soil. We are also asking people to support the demonstration on the following day to underline our anti-war message as Bush leaves this country. It is important that people turn up."

"It is also important that people speak out against the ridiculous waste of public money on security while President Bush is in this country. The latest information we have is that 4,000 gardai and more than 1,500 troops will be drafted into County Clare to protect this warmonger. Moreover, gardai have gone door-to-door in Shannon town during the past week or two enquiring into ordinary citizens' political and moral beliefs, and looking for information that they have no right to. This is a completely unacceptable use of taxpayers' money. If the visit goes ahead, and these security resources are in fact deployed, then we hope the bill goes directly to the White House. Fianna Fail and the PDs are behaving like lapdogs for George W. Bush."

Anti-War Ireland is a broad-based national alliance of anti-war groups, including the Clare/Limerick-based Mid-West Alliance Against Military Aggression, the Cork Anti-War Campaign, Fairview Against the War, the Dublin Anti-War Group, and other groups and individuals across the country. (Dr Fintan Lane is convenor of Anti-War Ireland, while Caoimhe Butterly and Tim Hourigan are both national spokespersons).

PRESS RELEASE ENDS

To contact Fintan Lane, phone 087 1258325.

Other Anti-War Ireland spokespersons include Caoimhe Butterly (087 2134160) and Tim Hourigan (087 9777703).

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Anti-War Ireland media panel

Thu Jun 03, 2004 03:22

Anti-war media panel for Bush protests

Anti-War Ireland, a broad-based national alliance of anti-war groups, is organising the demonstration that will meet George W. Bush when he lands at Shannon airport on Friday evening, June 25th. This demonstration will assemble at 7pm in Shannon town centre before marching to the airport.

Anti-War Ireland has appointed the following media panel for the Bush protests. These individuals are willing to do media interviews on behalf of Anti-War Ireland to explain the reasons for the protests, which revolve around our opposition to Bush's aggressive foreign policy and the military misuse of Shannon airport.
ANTI-WAR IRELAND media panel for Bush protests

HARRY BROWNE is an American who has been living in Ireland since 1987. He works as a journalist, contributes regularly to arts programmes on radio and TV, and lectures in the School of Media at Dublin Institute of Technology. He is based in Dublin. Contact: 087 77648065.

CAOIMHE BUTTERLY is a member of many human rights and activist groups including Voices in the Wilderness, Anti-War Ireland, and the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Caoimhe is a PRO with Anti-War Ireland. She has worked on human rights projects in many parts of the world: in 2002 she spent many months living in the West Bank, mostly in Jenin Camp. On 21 November 2002 she was shot by an Israeli soldier while ushering children to safety. She spent much of 2003 in Baghdad where she was active with Voice in the Wilderness and she observed the US occupation, and community resistance, at close hand. She is based in Dublin. Contact: 087 2134160, or masasa73@hotmail.com

DOMINIC CARROLL is the co-ordinator of the Anti-War Ireland demonstration scheduled to assemble at 7pm in Shannon town centre on the Friday evening that President Bush arrives in Ireland. He is PRO of Clonakilty Against the War and is also involved with the Cork Anti-War Campaign. He is based in Clonakilty, County Cork. Contact: 023 40881 or clonakiltyagainstthewar@eircom.net

EDWARD HORGAN is a retired commandant with the Irish Defence Forces and a decorated UN peacekeeper. Last year he took a High Court case against the Irish government over its decision to allow US military planes to overfly Ireland and refuel in this State (specifically at Shannon airport) while en route to war in Iraq. He claimed that this compromised Irish neutrality and that this country runs the risk of being party to war crimes. He left the army in 1986 and later became a full-time student - he was awrded an M.Phil. (Peace Studies) from TCD in 2000. Over the past 10 years he has also worked as a civilian UN volunteer on election and democratiisation missions in Bosnia, Croatia, Nigeria, Indonesia, Zimbabwe and East Timor. On 27 September 2003, Commandant Horgan returned to the Irish government his military medals awarded by the UN in protest against Ireland's participation in the war on Iraq. He is based in Limerick. Contact: 086 2380911.

TIM HOURIGAN is a leading member of both the Mid-West Alliance against Military Aggression (MAMA) and Refuelling Peace. He is also a PRO with Anti-War Ireland. He was one of those who first alerted the public to the refuelling of US warplanes at Shannon and he has steadily monitored the US military presence over the past few years. He has an unrivalled knowledge of the military misuse of the airport. He is based in Limerick. Contact: 087 9777703, or tim_hourigan@hotmail.com

Dr FINTAN LANE is convenor of Anti-War Ireland and a leading member of the Cork Anti-War Campaign. He served 45 days in Limerick Prison (between November 2003 and January 2004) because of his refusal to pay a E750 fine imposed by Tulla District Court in April 2003 for his part in a mass trespass during an anti-war protest at Shannon airport in October 2002. He described his participation as ‘an act of conscience’. He is an historian, the author of books on Irish social history, and editor of Saothar, the journal of Irish labour history. He is based in Cork and Dublin. Contact: 087 1258325, or info@antiwarireland.org

Prof. JOHN MAGUIRE is professor of sociology emeritus, University College, Cork. He is the author of a number of books including Defending Peace: Ireland’s Role in a Changing Europe (Cork University Press: 2002) and, with Joe Noonan, Maastricht and Neutrality (People First/Meitheal, 1992). He also wrote the song ‘Hey Ronnie Reagan’, which was recorded by Christy Moore, and is a long-time peace activist. He is a member of the Cork Anti-War Campaign. He is based in Cork. Contact: 021 7331871/087 1258325, or info@antiwarireland.org

MAGGIE RONAYNE is the co-ordinator of the Global Women’s Strike in Ireland. She has organised with women in Kurdistan and Iraq against war and torture, and against the destruction caused by large dam projects. He is a lecturer in archaeology in NUI Galway and has spoken out against the cultural destruction caused by the war in Iraq. She is based in Galway. Contact: 087 7838688, or maggie.ronanye@nuigalway.ie

To contact Anti-War Ireland, phone 087 1258325 or email info@antiwarireland.org

Wrong number for Harry Browne

Sun Jun 06, 2004 18:23

Harry Browne's number is given with one '7' too many.

It should be 087 7648065

I bet nobody will turn up

by Willie Greene

Mon Jun 07, 2004 02:35

Let's face it, the anti-war leadership blew it long ago. Nobody has any faith in them anymore with all their bickering and backstabbing.

Sez you hopefully

by Roger

Mon Jun 07, 2004 03:45

Well, I'll be there. And I'm looking fwd to it.

Bickering? More like backstabbing and dirty tricks to maintain SWP control of the IAWM media vehicle. Ahhh, we plod on regardless, and I reckon most people have never even heard about the internal hassle in the anti-war movement - and they'd care less if they did know.

I expect thousands at Shannon.

cassolada. (bang the pots and pans and dustbin lids)

by :-)

Wed Jun 09, 2004 00:00

all over Europe.

The Pan €uropean Assembly against Bush,
which has been formed from the Barcelona Auturem la Guerra! assembly and other anti war group delegates from all over our great continent has proposed a Pan €uropean banging of pots and pans and dustbin lids, de Aoine 25th of June to mark the arrival of Bush in Shannon.

suggested locations are embassies of the USA consuls of the USA and public spaces and the embassies and consuls of the Republic of Ireland.

Even if you've been dragged off your rothar,
you can still make noise.

there'll be more agit prop 2mrw.
see link.

help

by bridget

Tue Jun 22, 2004 05:31

brayner2 at hotmail dot com

00441603499221

two of us arriving at dublin on thurs, need somewhere to sleep and transport to shannon fri/sat. Anyone out there?

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Anti-war demo in Shannon to 'greet' Bush as he lands

Comments (6 of 6)