Mary Kelly's evidence

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report Monday July 07, 2003 22:00 by Justin Morahan

This comprises Mary Kelly's evidence given at her trial in Kilrush court, Ireland on Tuesday last.
The item is based on notes taken by me at the trial where two days later the jury were unable to reach a verdict.

In her evidence, given as a series of answers to her Counsel, Brendan Nix,
Mary Kelly said that she was born in 1952, was married and had been
separated, has four children. She is from Athlone, is a qualified nurse and
interested in world affairs. On the 29 January, 2003, she was living at the
Peace Camp at Shannon. She was a founder member of the Camp. As a volunteer
nurse in Palestine she had been devastated by the deaths there (caused by the
Israelis). No country was willing to stand up and condemn the brutalities
and torture that were happening there. She spoke to Government ministers
(in Ireland) about it.
She was deported to Ireland because of events in the Church of the Nativity
in Bethlehem in April, 2002.
Three hundred people were by then living in the Church of the Nativity as a
refuge from gunfire. Very concerned that there was no food or medicine in
the Church, she along with nine others brought in food and medicines and
then told the media the truth of what was happening. ... She was arrested by
Israeli troops and sent back to Ireland one week later.
In Ireland she became very concerned with the news that there would be
another war against Iraq. She knew that the people there had no voice that
could be heard. She was disturbed to learn that US warplanes were using our
airport to wage war on Iraq.
In reply to the question if she had educated herself on the situation, she
said that she had read Ramsey Clark, read about the work of Denis Halliday
and volunteer Michael Bermingham. She read newspapers, attended debates,
read reports written by Hans Blix and by previous weapons inspectors,
especially Scott Ritter. She had watched videos, spoke to Iraqis, spoke to
concerned T.D.s who had tried to have some of the relevant videos shown in
the Dáil. She had seen John Pilger's "Paying the Price", which showed the
effects of the sanctions on Iraq and she was extremely moved to find out
about the situation in hospitals there and how former Assistant Secretary
General of the UN, Denis Halliday, had himself smuggled in drugs to save the
lives of a few Iraqi children.
The sanctions (imposed by the UN on Iraq after the previous Gulf war in 1991
and never revoked) had devastated her. They especially affected children
and old people. There were deformities and cancers that could not be
treated, there was a lack of medicinal drugs, there was immense suffering..
She was horrified that her country was assisting in a war that would again
devastate Iraq. The water system there had been previously targeted, Unicef
reported that over 4000 children were dying every month.
On 29 January last Mary Kelly said that she went into Shannon airport with
an axe and did damage to a plane. At the time she was extremely moved.
Millions were protesting around the world (and were not being heard). She
wanted to do something that would give pause to the people who were waging
an unjust and immoral war. "I believed that my action would give pause to
the Irish Government (who were assisting it) and to the US.." (who were
waging it), she said.
She got in by unhooking the barbed wire on top of the fence and climbing
over the fence.
When arrested she had given a voluntary statement to the Gárdaí and had been
fully cooperative with them. She concluded that she was still involved with
the anti-war movement.
Cross-examined by Mr Stephen Coughlan, B.L., she agreed that her stand in
Palestine was a principled one. An Israeli tank had opened fire on her and
her companions. On a TV programme she had said that she wanted to give a
voice to the people. "My conscience moved me to damage this plane", she
said.
She had made her decision to attack the plane on the previous day and bought
the axe on the day of the action, 29 January. She struck the plane nearest
the fence, which she had seen before she went in. She saw that it was a US
Navy plane "and to me that was a warplane". If there had been a Hercules
plane there she would probably have attacked it but her choice of plane was
not arbitrary. There were many planes. Some carried (US) troops. Some might
have been carrying weapons of mass destruction. It was part of a chain that
was already engaged in war on a defenceless people. Although war was not
officially declared until March 21, war had already started. Even Irish TV
had reported the attacks that were happening.
Asked about her phrase "giving pause to the Irish Government", she said
people here were not aware, our Government was not listening. "It was
imperative (for me) to do as much as I could do so that no more Iraqi
children would die or suffer from lack of drugs."
When Mr Couglan said to her "So you just thought you could take the law into
your own hands", she replied that she was obeying international law. In the
Nuremberg tribunals the judgement was made that individuals have a duty to
violate domestic laws when crimes against peace and humanity are being
committed.. She didn't see it that she was committing a crime.
She didn't think she was "so different", as he had put it. 150,000 had
marched against the war, she was different only in that she felt compelled
to put a stop to one warplane... and to clarify that the impending invasion
was illegal.