Irish anti-war activist deported from U.S. despite acquittal for damaging U.S. Navy plane

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Monday April 07, 2008 16:22

by Damien Moran

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Irish anti-war activist deported from U.S. despite acquittal for damaging U.S. Navy plane

Damien Moran can be contacted at:
Landline 0048228944746
Mobile 0048607340093
Related Link: http://www.peacenikhurler .blogspot.com

Irish anti-war activist Damien Moran, acquitted in Dublin Circuit court 18 months ago by jury trial of doing €2 million damage to a U.S. military plane at Shannon airport as a protest against the Iraq war, was deported from the U.S.A.Sunday by Homeland Security agents at Chicago's O'Hare airport.
Moran had been invited to attend and speak at a conference against the U.S. Government's missile defence plans.

The 27 year old former Catholic seminarian, who has been living in and teaching English in Poland for the past 2 ½ years, was one of the organisers of the recent anti-missile shield demonstration in Slupsk (http://www.tarcza.org/). He is vehemently opposed to his tax money being spent on F-16's and

Poland's participation in the Iraq, Afghanistan occupations believing that tax money should be allocated to improve the health and education services, including raising nurses, doctors and teachers wages.

Moran stated: "I was immediately detained and questioned by Homeland Security officers about our nonviolent and legal action at Shannon in February 2003. The information the border authorities claimed to have was that I was arrested for damaging a U.S. fighter jet at Shannon. I let them know that their database was out of date and that it should also read acquitted as we had a lawful excuse."

He continued: "My mobile phone was seized and I was interrogated about the purpose of my trip and why I had damaged U.S. military property. I had been invited to speak at a university in Colorado Springs and at a conference in Omaha on U.S. militarism in Poland and Ireland. I also had tickets to visit my brother and his family in Virginia. Homeland Security 's unjustified refusal to allow me enter the U.S. is just another example of how quasi-fascist the U.S. State apparatus has become."

The juxtaposition of my refusal to enter the U.S. to speak on the grave need for military divestment and social investment as the U.S. officially celebrates the life of Martin Luther King Jr. should not go amiss. I was barred from entering due to my act of dissent at Shannon 5 years ago against their disastrous militaristic policies at home and abroad. There is no room for dissenters' perspectives in America today "

Furthermore the deportee claims "It is high time the omnipotent military -industrial complex in the U.S. is crushed by concerned citizens.When I informed them about our action and acquittal they were none too pleased."

Unfortunately I've lost $350 dollars in flight expenses while the Global Network Against Weapons in Space organisation that invited me have been setback over $1,000. Not much money compared to the $2 trillion plus bill that U.S. taxpayers have paid to help their government wage the Iraq war."

More on the conference that Moran was due to attend can be found at www.space4peace.org

As regards the Shannon Ploughshares action he was acquitted for with 4 colleagues more info. Can be sourced at www.warontrial.com

Moran's current activities include resistance to the controversial U.S. missile defence plans for Poland. See www.m29.bzzz.net for more details.