Limerick City a fab city

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Monday April 04, 2005 11:14

by Sean Clinton - Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign

chips at iol dot ie

Barringtons Bridge, Lisnagry, Co. Limerick

061-386203, 087-2725300

Limerick to become worlds first Caterpillar Free Zone.

Limerick City Councillors have a precedent setting opportunity to declare the City the worlds first Caterpillar Free Zone, thereby sending a resounding message to Caterpillar shareholders and directors when they meet in Chicago on April 13th.

Limerick City Council will soon consider a motion put forward by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and supported by the family of the murdered American human rights observer Rachel Corrie, to declare Limerick City the worlds first Caterpillar Free Zone. The motion calls on the City Council to ban the use of all Caterpillar plant and machinery on Council worksites from January 1st 2006, and calls on all traders in Limerick City to implement a voluntary ban on the sale of Caterpillar merchandise.

The Caterpillar company supplies the Israeli military with militarized D-9 bulldozers which it uses to destroy Palestinian homes, farmland and infrastructure in the occupied West Bank , Gaza and East Jerusalem.

On March 16th 2003, Rachel Corrie, a 23 year-old American human rights observer was run over and killed by a Caterpillar bulldozer as she stood in
clear view of the Israeli driver. She was attempting non-violently to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian pharmacist's home in Rafah, Gaza.

No public investigation has been carried out to-date and nobody has been charged in relation to Rachel's death. The Corrie family have campaigned for
the U.S. government to undertake a full, fair and expeditious investigation into her death, but so far without success.

Caterpillar bulldozers are used by the Israeli army in contravention of international human rights laws. (The Fourth Geneva Convention, the
International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.) They are frequently and systematically used to destroy civilian infrastructure
including homes, water and sewage pipes, electrical and telephone services, roads, schools, hospitals, airports, glasshouses, olive groves and farmland
in the West Bank and Gaza.

Numerous Human Rights and Palestinian Solidarity groups from all over the world have demanded that Caterpillar stop selling bulldozers to the Israeli
army.

Caterpillar has so far ignored all calls to cease these sales to Israel. Amnesty International has called on Caterpillar to take measures to
guarantee that its bulldozers are not used to commit human rights violations.

On April 13th Caterpillar shareholders meet in Chicago and will discuss a resolution on the sale of bulldozers to Israel. As long as it continues to
profit from sales to Israel, Caterpillar will do so. However, if shareholders sense that the continuation of this trade damages the company's
image and sales internationally, the policy would have to be reconsidered.

Limerick City has the opportunity to be the first city in the world to declare itself a Caterpillar Free Zone thereby sending a resounding message
to Caterpillar shareholders. This Limerick initiative, if adopted by the City Council, will be applauded internationally and many other cities will
replicate this stance, endorsing the supremacy of human rights over corporate opportunism.

The Corrie family have written a letter asking the City Councillors to unanimously support a motion calling for the creation of the world's first
Caterpillar Free Zone.

We ask Limerick City Council to pass a motion banning the use of all Caterpillar plant and machinery on Council worksites from January 1st 2006,
and calling on all traders in Limerick City to implement a voluntary ban on the sale of Caterpillar merchandise.

Letters of support for this motion can be sent to the Mayor and the other City Councillors at the addresses given below.

michael.hourigan@council.limerickcity.ie (The Mayor)
kathleen.leddin@council.limerickcity.ie
john.cronin@council.limerickcity.ie
kevin.kiely@council.limerickcity.ie
john.ryan@council.limerickcity.ie

kieran.ohanlon@council.limerickcity.ie
john.gilligan@council.limerickcity.ie
kieran.walsh@council.limerickcity.ie
gerry.mcloughlin@council.limerickcity.ie

diarmuid.scully@council.limerickcity.ie
ger.fahy@council.limerickcity.ie
james.houlihan@council.limerickcity.ie
lilly.wallace@council.limerickcity.ie

pat.kennedy@council.limerickcity.ie
maria.byrne@council.limerickcity.ie
joe.leddin@council.limerickcity.ie
jim.long@council.limerickcity.ie

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Comments (10 of 10)

Limerick is a fab city!!!

by Kieran W - Limerick City

Mon Apr 04, 2005 15:23

Kieranwalsh124 at hotmail dot com

Hey all, Kieran Walsh, Limerick City Council here.

If anyone is trying to contact me on the above email address, dont, as it doesnt work on my PC.

kieranwalsh124@hotmail.com is where youll find me.

Looking forward to working with you

Kieran

If you must do it do it right!

by Socialist

Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:19

Not only must all Catepillar machinery and plant but all footwear too. Any one wearing tan coloured boots or shoes should be be prohibited from visiting Limerick.

by Il papa

Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:49

Ah lads come on,
what are the chances, Limerick city council upholding a proposed ban on CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY.

Would you think about that for just a minute.

{I'd say theyll have an equally difficult time upholding a straight face.}

Why do you have to marginilise yourselves with such ridiculous demands.?
I do wholeheartedly support the principles you uphold but you must realise that youre digging a grave for your credibility with this sort of nonsense.

Ah maybe im just getting cynical, it used to feel like realism.

interesting

by limerick1919

Fri Apr 15, 2005 21:30

http://www.limerickpost.ie/dailynews.elive?id=6229&category=Daily-Thu

so only 3 councillors more needed with 6 declared in favour,
Wouldn't postal addresses work better in this circumstance. as maybe all don't check email?
3 of the remaing 11 are independents mcloughlin, wallace, kennedy while the others are FG (6) or FF(2)

sorry error

Fri Apr 15, 2005 21:33

of the remaining 11 undecided, 4 are independent add Kathleen Leddin to that list.
5 are FG

Kathleen Leddin

by Ray McInerney

Fri Apr 15, 2005 21:54

A Fine Gael 'Independent'

The council motion

by UCD Limerick

Sun Apr 24, 2005 15:57

Was the motion passed at the limerick city council?

Motion

by A10

Mon Apr 25, 2005 13:14

NOT PASSED
Due to the fact that equipment supplied to CCs is Irish Govt contracts.Take it up with them.

A10

by fab limerick

Mon Apr 25, 2005 13:54

Sorry A10 youre not totally correct

an amended motion is due to be discussed at todays meeting but yes specifically mentioning cat is not legal but calling on companies to use their influence to stop the occupation is ok.

Watch this space a motion will be passed this week.

Also, CAT have responded to the recent publicity about this initiative in Limerick and state that they cannot be held responsible for how their machines are used (despite the fact that they specifically modify these bulldozers for military use) and that we should leave politics to "our leaders"

A CATostrophic

Tue Apr 26, 2005 14:21

campain here.CAT is right about how their equipment is used.Anyway even if they refused to sell the milspec equipment to Isreal you can be double damn sure some other equipment crowd would flog milspec bulldozers to the Isrealies.Or they would build it themselves from civillian equipment.
Flogging a dead Cat...er ..horse here.

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Limerick City a fab city

Comments (10 of 10)