Shannon Airport is the destination again on Saturday 21st of June for a National Demonstration called by the Cork Anti-War Campaign against the continued US Military use of the Airport. Buses are travelling from Cork and Dublin.

The demonstration will be complimented by a party/gathering called by SOS at what was previously the site of the Shannon Peace Camp and by a Catholic Worker Peace Walk. SOS have issued an open invitation for people interested in contributing to the party and in a statement and interview have outlined their novel approach.

Court cases centring on events at previous Shannon demonstrations and direct actions continue, as do efforts to raise funds for those facing charges and fines. These include a pub quiz in Dublin on Thursday 19th June, and a concert in Dublin on Tuesday 17th.

An abundance of material continues to be published on Indymedia on the subject of the ongoing war in Iraq and protests and actions in opposition to it including these audio interviews with Caoimhe Butterly, who has recently travelled there.

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Two members of the radical anti-war Catholic Worker Movement were arrested inside Shannon Airport in the early hours of Good Friday. Jenny Hannon of Dublin and Martin McGowan of Sligo were detained by airport security and police after making their way into the airfield.

They had constructed a shrine to the Iraqis slain in the recent U.S. military assault, conducted the Catholic Office of the Dead and planted a bed of potatoes. Despite the large police and army presence designed to ‘protect’ the airport, over an hour later they were still airside, where they peacefully continued their libation at the edge of the runway.

In early February five other members of the Dublin Catholic Worker Movement were arrested after disarming a U.S. Navy warplane at Shannon Airport. There is now an urgent campaign to support their upcoming trial.

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Related Links: Pitstop Ploughshares | Catholic Worker Movement | Refueling Peace | Al Jazeera (in English) | Electronic Iraq

Saturday was an eventful day at Shannon Airport with two protests and a strong Garda presence, protecting a newly-erected razor fence. Despite scaremongering, the Grassroots protest was peaceful, their attempt to take down the fence was unsuccessful, but participants promised to return ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 Video) ( 4 Audio) ( 5) ( 6) ( 7). There were ten arrests ( 2 Video) however accompanied by the usual over enthusiasm (Video).

The diverse IAWM protest passed off , without incident ( 2 ). Those arrested have since been released on bail, due to return on Friday March 7th. There were unconfirmed reports of a breach of runway security a few hours after the protests ended.

Post match analysis has led to some discussion and the usual arguments over the rights and wrongs of both protests. While both Shannon demonstrations were underway people also gathered in Dublin and in Donegal to voice their opposition to the war.

Video: ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 )

Arrestees: ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 )

Arguments: ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 5 ) ( 6 ) ( 7 ) ( 8 ) ( 9 ) ( 10 ) ( 11 )

Donegal

Audio

Photos ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 5 )

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Other News Links... • 'Razor wire has also been stretched across part of the airport complex to deter demonstrators' - RTE Coverage • US Antiwar Activists Plan Nonviolent Blockades - Boston Globe • Ireland: Airport Shunned - NY Times (USA) • Anti-war group dismiss claims of vandalism - Online.ie • Extra security for Shannon protest to cost €1m - Examiner • Iraq starts destroying missiles - UK Independent • U.S. Diplomat's Letter of Resignation and Protest - John Brady Kiesling • Naomi Klein writes that Shannon Protests are a model of global protest. • Civil Disobedience Planned in Shannon - San Jose Mercury News (USA) US Troop Carrying Airlines That Have Pulled Out Of Shannon: North American Airlines    • Admitted CIA Connections Miami Airlines World Airlines • Gloucestershire UK Weapons Inspectors protest US B-2 Stealth Bomber deployment at Fairford USAF Base ... Shannon-style Peace Camp begins. • Ireland is a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) initiative Other Good Sites... NoWarBlog.org WarInContext.org CommonDreams.org Comment on the Protest Breaking News... 17:22 - Protest organisers are off to local Garda station to investigate status of those arrested today - Fence not taken down as planned - mostly peaceful day with scuffles with police that led to arrests - [this will be the last update for a while, cheers!] 17:01 - NewsTalk 106 reports ten arrested at Shannon Airport - 600+ participated at the protests and has now concluded - Irish Times also reports ten arrested... 16:25 - Present scene at the airport is nearing end, nine arrested, total - one protester had her trousers pulled off by Garda during arrest, 'handled badly' 16:08 - Seven to nine (three to four are women) arrested, in total, have been arrested, mostly for blocking the Garda van - Many protesters are marching back to the Shannon Airport entrance archway.... 16:03 - NewsTalk 106 reporter contrasts GNAW to 'other peaceful alliances from around the country' - 106 says 500+ protesters - notes 'scuffles' between Gardai and protesters - also mentions of 'sniffer dogs'... 15:58 - Three more arrests (including one woman) - crowds blocking Garda van. Gardai are pulling protesters away to free the van... 15:55 - Gardai are dragging protesters away from the fence - crowds throwing red and black flags over the fence - protestors lying on the ground while others are moving further down the fence... 15:29 - AntiWar Movement stewards are moving their contingent away from the fence to avoid arrests. Other groups nearer to the fence. Gardai presence heavy. Independent Workers Union also present. 15:21 - 800-900 protestors in march, diversity of groups involved. Increased tension on the scene... 15:12 - Joe Higgins, SP - TD, is on the scene 'observing' the protest 15:08 - No violence but two arrests of protestors. Andrew Flood of Grassroots Network Against War, speaking with a megaphone, says that the protest prooves the emdia wrong about reported 'violent intentions' of the protesters and another similar protest will happen a couple weeks from today. 15:05 NewsTalk 106 says protest is peaceful at Shannon. 106 also reports that PANA's protest is over 100 at the Dept of Foreign Affairs. 14:58 - Stand off between 200-300 protestors and Garda. Five Garda on horses, many in riot gear near entrance of airport. 14:42 - NewsTalk 106 reports over a 100 now at Dept of Foreign Affairs 14:22 - 700-800 in the car park. 200-300 have left going up the road with heavy Gardai presence. 14:05 - NewsTalk 106 reports 300-400 have assembled at Shannon Airport and 30 are holding a vigil at the Dept of Foreign Affairs in Dublin 14:00 - Busses of protesters going to Shannon have been stopped and searched by Garda 10:00 - Report from Shannon Airport area of busloads of Garda, helicopter overhead, approximately six Irish Army trucks spotted and Garda stopping cars on roads and asking drivers questions.

In the early hours of Monday 3 February, five members of the pacifist Catholic Worker Movement ( 2 ) cut their way into Shannon Airport ( 2 ). The peace activists poured human blood on the runway that has been servicing U.S. military flights, troop and munition deployments to U.S. military bases in Kuwait and Qatar. They constructed a shrine on the runway to Iraqi children killed and threatened by U.S./British bombardment and sanctions. The shrine consisted of copies of the Bible and Quran, rosary and muslim prayer beads, flowers, photographs of Iraqi children and Brigid's crosses. They then began to take up the runway, working on its edge with a mallet.

Despite other media giving space to reports of a Garda being assaulted or overpowered, this was refuted by the protestors themselves.

Ciaron O'Reilly, one of the Catholic Worker activists arrested, said today that they had indeed met met a Garda who, rather than being overpowered, had had a kind of stress/panic reaction to their presence and had become upset. According to Ciaron the Garda was concerned with his job and with the reaction of his superiors. Ciaran made it clear that at no point had the Catholic Worker activists approached, attacked or restrained the Garda and that he was their arresting officer. Ciaran is further reported as saying that the five Catholic Worker protesters were themselves upset by the Garda's reaction and had attempted to comfort and reassure him.

Read More | Updates: ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 5 ) ( 6 ) | Picture of those arrested

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