Peaceful Protest Inside Terminal of Shannon Airport

international | anti-war / imperialism | feature Tuesday February 28, 2006 01:28 by Justin Morahan - Peace People

Saturday Feb 25th, 2006

No torture jets. Earlier protest in Dublin featuring poster.

On Saturday 25th Feb 2006, while Dublin was busy rioting against a loyalist paramilitary march, peace activists entered Shannon airport and conducted a peaceful protest against the use of a neutral civilian airport as both a staging point in the occupation of Iraq and as a conduit for the transfer of prisoners of the CIA in "extraordinary rendition".

From the newswire (Justin Morahan, Peace People): Colm and I decided to go in, drove to the car park, parked and went in to the airport. We wandered around for over an hour, sat in the observation lounge and saw three US planes, one Aer Lingus and one Ryanair, two small planes partly out of sight. Unfortunately, we had no camera. We also saw US troops passing up and down the corridor beind a glass panel opposite our window.

We had a cup of tea and decided to do the protest in the middle of the Departure Lounge where there were passengers waiting and people including staff to the left, right and upstairs. Colm took out his favourite poster (with Village pic as in previous vigil in Ranelagh see http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74470) and I mine. As we stood holding the posters I started to say Ed McCurdy's poem "Last night I dreamed" and followed with an impromptu speech. Colm wore his Pitstop T-shirt.

The people were all listening, some smiling, but Colm said the people upstairs were more supportive-looking than the waiting passengers. After that we still stood with the posters for about five minutes (at least it looked a long time). Eventually two airport police came rushing through a door and one of them told us to leave the airport immediately. We said OK (as planned) but asked out loud "Do you know why we are here?" He said out loud too "That's perfectly obvious." As we left, we asked him "But are you going to search these planes? Planes landing here have brought people for torture to other countries." He said planes had been boarded and nothing suspicious noticed. We walked through the front door still showing the posters as he rang the Guards.

We needed to go back to pay our parking fee and did. Outside again, about four Gardai arrived and took our names, Colm and I were in separate places. We told them why we were there etc. There was no hassle.

Later Det Sergeant Houlihan arrived, smiling, talked about meeting us in Dublin July 3rd. He asked "Are ye going in to make a protest" and we said we had finished. (The gist of my replies as recollected are in brackets).

He pleaded that:
1) there was no evidence whatsoever that people had been brought through Shannon to be tortured, (I said no-on was alleging that there was evidence of a person having been renditioned through Shannon but that there was evidence that a rendition plane had landed there as part of the rendition)
2) that US soldiers had been going through Shannon for ages without protest ( I didn't know of this - until Tim and Ed and others had informed the press. B. Ahern and B. Cowen were denying it was happening and, if it was always happening does that make it right)
3)that Russian war planes had passed through without protest (If I had known, I would have been protesting )
4) it was only in the last few weeks that it was found out that a rendition plane had landed there (Tim and Ed had told you when they first took photos of it)
5) We have sent the evidence that was given to the DPP but it wasn't sufficient
6) the airport would go to economic ruin without the custom of the US military. (so, if Hitler had been using Shannon to transport gas for the extermination of the Jews, that would be ok because it was good for the economy of Shannon?)
7) Our people at the airport are very sharp and would know if there was anything suspicious
8) If people had any evidence, they should give it to us (How can people come in and examine these planes. I would go in now and examine them if I had permission. But people like Tim and Ed are harrassed when the take photos even though I was in the Dáil before Christmas listening to TDs and Senators expressing shock and amazement that they were harrassed for taking photos in the airport. How can they procure evidence unless they are allowed to board the planes). . . .

I finished by saying "I am now making a formal request of you to examine all of these planes"

This is only a summary and the points made are in no particular order. If Det Houlihan was making a recording I would be far happier if you heard the unedited version!

We also talked about the courts system and how Judge Moran disallowed Mary Kelly's defence and Judge McDonagh, at the Pitstop Ploughshares trial asked the potential jury members not to go on the jury if they had any conflict of interests but there he was, a buddy of Bush's himself.

We are here today to protest against the use of Shannon airport as part of a war effort. And we are protesting against the airport being used to refuel CIA torture planes after they had carried prisoners to other countries where they were tortured.

We know of one plane that had carried prisoners to Egypt where they were tortured and that plane stopped at Shannon on its way back to the United States.

Donald Rumsfeldt stood in this airport making a speech to his own US troops preparing them for war - just imagine that - a foreign Commander-in-Chief addressing his own troops on Irish soil as they went out to war against another country. This is an absolute disgrace.

What is happening to Ireland? What the hell is happening to this country? Our Government allows our airport to be used in this way.

Let us be clear about this. This use of Shannon has made us participants in a war. Let there be no waffle, let there be no pretence. Because our Government allows this to happen it is making us complicit in war and torture.

This is an absolute disgrace and the Irish people should not allow it to happen.

Now we have made our protest, we wish toy a safe and happy flight to wherever you are going - and be sure to tell everyone what you have seen at Shannon.

Thank you.