Garda plan to prevent selected citizens from attending Shannon demos an attack on civil liberties

national | anti-war / imperialism | news report Thursday June 24, 2004 18:08 by Dominic Carroll - Anti-War Ireland info at antiwarireland dot org

Anti-War Ireland Press Statement

The gardaí have announced that the Anti-War Ireland demonstration at Shannon on Friday evening will be allowed to go ahead. However, gardaí have indicated that protestors will be prevented from entering Shannon if they “look like they might cause trouble”. In addition, the Ambush demonstration called for midday on Saturday will be blockaded at Bunratty and prevented from entering Shannon.

Anti-War Ireland condemns in the strongest terms this proposed breach of civil liberties. The proposed demonstrations at Shannon on Friday and Saturday are intended to be entirely peaceful, and the gardaí are perfectly aware of this. Every citizen has the right to peaceful assembly and protest, and An Garda Síochána has no right to decide on the basis of appearance whether a protestor “might cause trouble”.

Anti-War Ireland demands that the gardaí rescind this anti-democratic order, and that every citizen intent on peaceful protest at Shannon be admitted to Shannon.

Anti-War Ireland takes this opportunity to again restate that all the proposed demonstrations at Shannon are intended to be entirely peaceful, and that for the gardaí to characterise these protests as potentially troublesome is utterly unacceptable.


For further info:
Dominic Carroll
087 1258325