Shannonwatch Monthly Vigil

clare | anti-war / imperialism | event notice Monday December 07, 2009 13:19 by Shannonwatch

Meet at the small roundabout just before the airport entrance (gantry).

All who oppose Shannon's role in war and human rights abuse - or who want to learn more about it - are welcome.

As US President Obama commits another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan on the basis of a lie about rooting out al-Qaeda extremism, we are likely to see increased war traffic through Shannon. But the munitions and soldiers sent through Ireland will make a bad situation even worse for ordinary Afghanis. They are fighting two enemies – the Taliban that inflict catalogues of abuse on the people on the one hand, and the high-tech US and NATO forces that attack indiscriminately from the air on the other. And their president, Hamid Karzai, leader of the government that the US and NATO hope to see running the country when they leave, is in league with powerful warlords and druglords, some of whom are his close relatives.

We invite you to continue to take a stand against Shannon’s involvement in this and the Iraqi war by joining the vigil outside the airport from 2 – 3pm on Sunday 13 December.

Meanwhile planes that have long been associated with the illegal and cruel practices of rendition and torture are still passing through Shannon airport (N478GS, N71PG, N404AC, …). Who’s to say that the CIA are not still kidnapping “suspects” and flying them or the torturers through Shannon? No investigations have been carried out, despite repeated demands. The Irish government, the Gardai and the airport authorities have a history of turning a blind eye to these human rights abuses, and may still be doing so.