Anti-War Ireland welcomes British Chief of Staff's remarks

national | anti-war / imperialism | press release Friday October 13, 2006 11:30 by Anti-War Ireland info at antiwarireland dot org

British troops should be withdrawn immediately

ANTI-WAR IRELAND WELCOMES REMARKS BY BRITISH ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF

Anti-War Ireland, a national anti-war organisation, welcomes the comments made today in the Daily Mail and on the BBC by British Army Chief of Staff, General Sir Richard Dannett, where he criticised the British military presence in Iraq and urged that Britian should "get ourselves out sometime soon because our presence exacerbates the security problems."

General Dannett's remarks reflect the depth of anti-war sentiment in Britain and across Europe and stand as a remarkable indictment of Blair's war policy by the most senior general in the British army.

Commenting, Anti-War Ireland spokesperson and senior lecturer in sociology at NUI Maynooth, Dr Colin Coulter said: "General Dannett's call for a British withdrawal makes sense on every level. A recent Lancet report indicated that as many as 650,000 men, women and children may have died since Bush and Blair sent their troops into Iraq. This appalling carnage has to end and Anti-War Ireland welcomes General Dannett's public admission that the presence of occupation armies is the central cause of the violence."

Coulter continued: "The invasion of Iraq was wrong in March 2003 and it remains wrong today. British and US troops should be pulled out immediately. Likewise, the Irish government should listen carefully to what General Dannett has said and end Irish complicity with the US war machine at shannon airport. Fianna Fail and the PDs have dragged
Ireland into a war that most Irish people oppose. This Irish
complicity must also end."

Anti-War Ireland is organising an anti-war demonstration at shannon airport for Saturday, 28 October. Assembling at 2pm by Lidl in shannon town centre, protestors will march in a mock-funeral procession to the airport where they will be addressed by three former US Abu-Ghraib interrogators, who are now members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. A significant turnout is expected.

PRESS RELEASE ENDS

To contact Anti-War Ireland spokespeople, phone:

Colin Coulter at 086 1234520

Deirdre Clancy at 086 1512013

Harry Browne at 087 7648065.