Guantanamo Protest walk from Limerick to Shannon

national | anti-war / imperialism | event notice Wednesday June 04, 2008 18:08 by Edward Horgan - Peace and Neutrality Alliance

Peace Vigil and Protest Walk Shannon Sunday 8 June

The distance from Limerick to Shannon is about 15 miles. On Sunday next 8 June a protest walk will take place from the Treaty Stone near Thomond Bridge in Limerick to Shannon airport, beginning at 1 pm. We expect to arrive at Shannon at about 5 pm.

Next Sunday 8 June, also, Amnesty International will be organising their monthly peace vigil at Shannon airport from 5 pm to 6 pm. These monthly vigils are important to highlight the continuing human rights abuses associated with the US military and CIA abuse of Shannon airport for their wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and for the Guantanamo and prisoner rendition torture programme.

The protest walkers hope to arrive at Shannon at about 5 pm and will join the peace vigil. Protesters from Cork (where the idea originated) will be joined by protesters from Dublin, Galway, Limerick and elsewhere.
Orange Guantanamo jumpsuits will be worn by walkers who can get manage to get them.

Neutrality and torture are the two important issues that have been censored out of the Lisbon Treaty debate. The militarisation of Europe and the increasing links between the EU and NATO are intrinsic parts of the Lisbon Treaty. 20 of the 27 EU states are full NATO Members, France is a virtual full member, the six neutral states are all members of NATO's Partnership for (so-called) Peace, and only Cyprus is in neither (yet).

There are now three distinct but closely related elements in the abuse of Irish neutrality at Shannon airport.
1. thousands of US troops pass through Shannon each week going to and from the Iraq and Afghan wars.
2. Chartered transport planes and US military transport planes transport hundreds of tons of military hardware including cluster bombs, attack helicopters, probably depleted uranium munitions, through Shannon to Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel.
3. CIA planes closely associate with the torture rendition programme are still using Shannon airport several times each week.

Gardai have continuously refused to search all these planes.

With regard to the Lisbon Treaty we are urged to trust the Irish Government on Irish neutrality and the so-called TRIPPLE LOCK is cited as proof of how much we can trust the Irish goverment on such issues.
Irish people were assured that US troops would not be allowed use Shannon without UN Security Council Approval in February 2003. On the 20 March 2003, that assurance was broken, along with the abandonment of Irish neutrality.
We have been assured many times in the past that Irish troops would only serve on UN peacekeeping missions, with approval of both the Government and Dail Eireann.
Now Irish troops are serving with NATO forces in Bosnia and Kosovo and Afghanistan.
We have over 400 Irish troops serving in a misguided French neo-colonial EU mission in Chad, protecting a French client military dictator General Idris Debre. Of course this mission has EU, UN, Irish Government and Dail approval, but it is still a stupid and inappropriate mission for Irish troops, some of whom may unfortunately be killed for French national interests.

Irish complicity in the Iraq war, and in Abu Graib and Guantanamo torture means that we cannot trust the Irish Government on such issues. We must continue to expose the truth at Shannon airport, at every opportunity, and to protect Irish values and best long-term interests by voting NO to Lisbon.