Anti-War Activsts Announce Action Plan to Demilitarise Shannon Airport!

Risk Peace Not War!

Activists’ announce action plan

Growing support for anti-war group

BY DAVID LYNCH / Daily Ireland

14/08/2006

Activists’ announce action plan

Growing support for anti-war group

BY DAVID LYNCH

14/08/2006

Anti-war activists planning to shut down Shannon airport have claimed there is widespread interest and support for their plans.
Peace activist Ciaron O’Reilly told Daily Ireland last week of his plans for the Co Clare airport.
Mr O’Reilly was one of five peace campaigners cleared last month of causing criminal damage to a US warplane at Shannon in 2003.
He said his group intended to hold a press conference in September to announce final details of the Shannon action plan.
The activists intend giving the Irish government a set date to “demilitarise Shannon”.
The anti-war campaigner said this would mean ending the US military’s use of the airport.
The Irish government is expected to ignore any such demand.
Mr O’Reilly has indicated that campaigners will undertake direct “non-violent resistance to demilitarise the airport”.
Since the announcement of the plan, the Pit Stop Ploughshares group said it had received expressions of interest from “various counties and countries”.
They want a base of “100 people to be committed to the action”.
“We will only do this if we are confident of having a critical mass heading to 100 folks by the time we act,” a group spokesperson said.
“We will act in the non-violent direct tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
“We expect our initial 100 will come half from the island of Ireland and the other half from the Irish diaspora throughout England, Scotland, Australia and the United States.”