Call for unity in antiwar movement

national | anti-war / imperialism | opinion/analysis Sunday November 21, 2004 20:32 by Mary Kelly

The leadership of the protest movement have caricatured the position of direct activists and isolated us from the wider movement.
In the interest of an effective movement that hopes to realise its aims, this needs to be corrected urgently

From the early days of the Peace Camp Jan ’03 to preparing for sentencing on Dec 1st ’04, I have always seen the necessity of being part of protest movement and antiwar activities. The protest movement has been a vital part and first step towards public recognition of the crime taking place at Shannon. The bigger the protest, the more focus on the crime.

I have always believed that direct activists and protestors are part of the same movement with the same aim; to get the US military out of Shannon.
It is a mystery to me why direct activists have been viewed by one side of that movement as being ANTI the protest movement. That has never been my view.

I support the fundamental axiom of the worldwide Ploughshare movement ‘we are in the courts/jails for you, you are on the streets for us “. and this has always been a prominent statement on Ploughshare literature in Ireland.

Why is it that the voice of direct activists has been misread, caricatured and reduced to a call for direct action only? This has never been my position.
Why is it that nobody has consulted me when making pronouncements about the position of direct activists generally, my own case in particular?
The unfortunate unhappy reality is that it is the direct activists, myself particularly right now, who have been deserted by the protest movement, not the other way round.
Not all people in the movement are ready or willing to take direct action and face the consequences of the State’s terror. It is an obvious fact that people are at different stages of consciousness and different levels of constraints that allow them to choose such a course of action. ( for eg parents with young dependent kids, personal and work commitments ).
So of course we need a diverse protest movement to allow all who oppose the US military at Shannon to participate and amongst other things to support those who have taken direct actions.
Instead what has happened is the reverse.
The leadership of the protest movement have caricatured the position of direct activists and in effect isolated us from the wider movement. This has been achieved on the basis that we are insisting on one course of action i.e.. direct action and no other.
I repeat, this has never been my view.
‘We are in the jails for you, and you are on the streets for us’. Daniel Berrigan, his brother Philip and others pioneered direct action resistence during the Vietnam war. The Swords into ploughshares movement has spread world wide ever since. It has always had a complementary relationship to the protest movement. Unfortunately, that has not been the case in this country.

It is extraordinary that I have to write this letter to make my position clear even at this point. But as late as this week at a public meeting, I have heard this misleading position posited from a member of the IAWM as if it were my position, ie that direct activists only recognize DA as being valid. This is most emphatically NOT my position!
It would be great if we lived in a world where direct action is widespread. In such a world, the US military would long since be gone from Shannon.
May I suggest that the protest movement needs to start supporting those of us in court and facing prison sentences. This can be done by
1. Giving us a platform where we can explain our positions correctly, and can highlight the extent of the crimes being committed in Shannon .It has been a great education to learn Irish and International law, and how they support direct action. This knowledge needs to be shared.
2. Fundraise.
3. Come to the trials!
4. Meet with the key antiwar activists in the world today who have been coming to testify at my trials.
5. Attend the public meetings where these extraordinary people have been speaking, publicise the events as well as the contents of their speeches.
6. Publicise the details of my recent trial.

None of this has happened. Ramsey Clark, Denis Halliday, Daniel Ellsberg, Scott Ritter, Curtis Doebbler Professor Horst Guenter have all been at my trial yet none of the IAWM have been there, nor has it advertised in any significant way the coming together of these very eminent people from 3 continents to bear witness to my lawful action.
That work has been left to me and a handful of loyal supporters.
It is extraordinary that such a distance of 'misunderstanding?" exists between the Irish antiwar movement and direct activists. In the interest of an effective movement that hopes to realise its aims,it needs to be corrected most urgently.