Ban from Clare lifted for Pitstop Ploughshares

dublin | anti-war / imperialism | press release

Monday April 19, 2004 22:23

by Deirdre Clancy - Pitstop Ploughshares

Ban from Clare lifted for Pitstop Ploughshares

The 5 Catholic Workers got their ban from the County of Clare lifted today in the Four Courts by Judge Matthews. The prosecution, represented by Inspector Kennedy, agreed to lift the ban and replace it with a ban from a five-mile radius of Shannon Airport.

Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon, Damien Moran and Ciaron O'Reilly are awaiting trial charged with two counts of criminal damage worth $US 2.5 million and 200 euro. These charges arise out of their 3/2/03 nonviolent disarmament of a US Navy war plane at Shannon Airport en route to Iraq. Shannon Airport continues to host around 10,000 US troops a month. In March of this year, the figure rose to almost 17,000 troops.

The ban was originally imposed by District Court Judge Mangan in County Clare, who has used this penalty both as a bail condition and as a conviction for anti-war protestors consistently since activists began protesting at Shannon. Deirdre Clancy of the Pitstop Ploughshares said, "A District Court judge should not be given the power to impose a ban from a whole county of Ireland. This ongoing misuse of power against anti-war protestors, and indeed others accused of relatively petty crimes, is indicative of the arbitrary nature of the sentences and bail conditions handed down by this particular judge. For instance, initially our bail included the requirement to sign on at a Garda Station each day. I have since heard of murder and rape cases where the accused signed on once or twice a week. This hyperbolic panic about a single act of disarmament in a time when arms have the power to obliterate humanity, contrasted with the less stringent reaction toward acts which inflict harm on individuals, is indicative of a socio-political system that is in deep denial and that values property over human welfare and human life."

In December 2003, Dublin Circuit Court Judge Mathews ordered the prosecution to provide further discovery to the Ploughshares defendants. The discovery ordered relates to the nature of US military flights stopping off at Shannon in the six months preceding to the action. The Prosecution is keen to strip the disarmament of any military context and portray it as vandalism.

One working day before the discovery was due (26/1/04) the Prosecution team was replaced and moves began to get Judge Mathews to reverse his December decision. The Ploughshares have returned to the Four Courts five times in February as these prosecution machinations played themselves out. On February 29th, Judge Mathews ruled "it is as it was" on the discovery question.

The prosecution is currently initiating a judicial review to try to reverse Judge Matthews' discovery ruling, prolonging an already long drawn out process for the defendants, their legal team and their supporters.

For more information, phone: 087 918 4552, or 086 151 2013
Also see: www.ploughsharesireland.org