Making War through Shannon airport

by Ciaron - Catholic Worker/Plowshares Thu Nov 12, 2009 20:50 At Large, Australia

We are attempting to sustain a weekly anti-war vigil outside of Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane/Australia. Soldiers from the barracks are deploying to the war on Afghanistan. Questions about the war are not being posed by the media, churches, the academy or the arts..so it's left to our motley crew on the sidewalk to pose the questions printed on our placards
-Invading Afghaistan is not Defending Australia!
-Resist the War on Afghanistan www.couragetoresist .org
-Refuse to serve the Afghan Mission!
-Bring All our Troops Home!

The vigil this week fell on Nov 11th. - Armistice Day, the end of World War 1 (also for Australians the anniversary of the hanging of Ned Kelly and the Governor General's 1975 sacking of the reformist Whitlam government!)

Gallipoli Barracks that deployed cannon fodder to WW1, Vienam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and all the wars in between, is presently undergoing an $800 million upgrade with a further 1600 people to be based at the barracks when the 8th./9th. Battaltion will be re-raised as part of the Enhanced Land Force initiative.

Wednesday saw longtime local peace activist Sandy, myself and Dr. John Jiggens http://drjiggens.com/ author of recent book "The Killer Cop and the Murder of Donal Mackay" maintain vigil.

As I started the vigil solo, a school bus of Catholic school girls on their way to touch footy stopped and gave me an ice block and wished me well! Vietnam War protestor Merv Langford swung by and promised to join us in future and text apologies were received from my brother Sean and school teacher Cameron caught in gridlock.

The first hour of the vigil is gridlock school run time most of the responses were positive and affirming, some represented the general "Get a Life!" disengagement and a minority of open hostility. A lot of soldiers drive by during our vigil time some in military vehicles, some in reved up utes and motor bikes.

Meanwhile, Labor Prime Minister Rudd had dashed secretly to Afghanistan for a photo op and announced "Australia will stay the course in Afghanistan! " which really means that "After 8 years the Americans still won't let us go home yet!"

The pandoras box of violence unleashed with war was clearly evident as Gulf War 1 veteran the "Washington Sniper" John Allan Muhammed http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/11/2739692. htm was executed in Virginia and Obama went to Ft. Hood/Texas in the wake of the massacre carried out by a military psychiatrist who had previously worked at Walter Reed with veterans suffering form post traumatic stress.

Meanwhile in England Afghan War veteran Lance Corporal Joe Glenton who had hidden out in Australia while refusing redeployment, recently led an anti-war march in London was arrested and now faces court martial.
https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/11/441597.html

64% of British public think the war is unwinnable and that troops should be withdrawn.

There seems to be little popular support for this war, there is little visible popular opposition to this war...there is just war! And our motley crew on the sidewalk outside of Gallipoli barracks and similar small efforts trying to stay awake to what's going down!

Eamonn McCann reflects well from the north of Ireland on how Armistice Day/ red poppies hijacked to promote present wars
http://www.counterpunch.org/mccann11112009.html

Patrick Cockburn suggests "Leaving Afghanistan to the Afghanis"
http://www.counterpunch.org/patrick11092009.html

by Shanonwatcher Tue Nov 10, 2009 22:13

The following is the Solemn Declaration made by all members of An Garda Siochana on their appointment:

It is important to remind Gardai who are engaged in so-called public order duties of their solemn declaration on a regular basis. Peace activists should carry a copy of this oath with them and read it to the Gardai whenever appropriate.

Section 16(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 requires each member of the Garda Síochána to make the following Solemn declaration when they are appointed :-

"I hereby solemnly and sincerely declare before God that—

-I will faithfully discharge the duties of a member of the Garda Síochána with fairness, integrity, regard for human rights, diligence and impartiality, upholding the Constitution and the laws and according equal respect to all people,
-while I continue to be a member, I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge all my duties according to law, and
-I do not belong to, and will not while I remain a member form, belong to or subscribe to, any political party or secret society whatsoever.”.

by Black Guard Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:43

Great to see you are keeping up the work and exposing what is going on at Shanon. Well done

by John Lannon - Shannonwatch Mon Nov 09, 2009 09:28

The Israeli flight that was almost certainly carrying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Arcia is an Israeli charter airline, and was chosen for the Netanyahu trip to the US because it is supposedly a cheaper and smaller airplane than the normal El Al carrier. This necessitated a refueling stop, which the Irish government were happy to facilitate.

Ireland quite rightly supported the UN General Assembly resolution calling for independent investigations of alleged war crimes by Israel last week. But a few days later it makes the leader of that same country welcome on Irish soil, and provide Garda security and protection for him and his comrades in war. Providing this protection is inconsistent, and an affront to the oppressed Palestinian people of Gaza.

It is ironic that the head of a brutal and oppressive government should be at Shannon airport as peaceful endeavour was being celebrated outside the airport. The suffering in Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world - where war is manipulated by external forces and ruthless self interest - is made possible by the complicity of places like Shannon. It was appropriate therefore that the World March for Peace and Non-Violence banners were raised at Shannon on Sunday to show that the business of war cannot ever become acceptable there, or indeed anywhere.

For a full report on the Sunday events at Shannon see http://www.shannonwatch.org/WorldMarchForPeace.htm.

Netanyahu steps on board Arcia plane in Israel.

by Edward Horgan Mon Nov 09, 2009 00:00

Its time to put a stop to all this complicity with unlawful wars and the killing of innocent people now.

It was time to put a stop to all this yesterday

It was time to put a stop to all of this on 20 March 2003

All this killing in our name, should never have started

Two OMNI air US troop carriers at Shannon Fri 6 Nov 09

Volga Dnepr transport at Shannon 6 Nov - transporting war materials?

Two Omni Air US troop carriers + Evergreen munitions? transport at Shannon Wed 4 Nov 09