What terror is O'Dea talking about?
national |
anti-war / imperialism |
other press 
Friday August 18, 2006 08:18
by anon
O'Dea criticises outcome of anti-war activists' trial
Defence Minister Willie O'Dea has criticised the outcome of the recent trial involving the five anti-war activists who damaged a US military aircraft at Shannon Airport more than three years ago.
The five admitted attacking the plane, but said they did so to prevent greater crimes from being committed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
They were all acquitted last month after a jury at Dublin Circuit Court agreed that they had a lawful excuse for their actions.
However, Mr O'Dea, who is a trained barrister, claimed today that the jury was wrong in its decision.
"I don't think this defence should have been allowed to go to the jury in the first place and secondly, I don't think the jury should have found as they did," he said.
"But, as you know, the courts are independent and the Government can't over-rule or interfere in the operation of the courts.
"That's essential in a democracy, but a democracy also has the right to protect itself against terror."
Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4Sounds like Willie is implying that the pacifist Ploughshares movement is terorist? He must have got that line passed down from the White House, where legislation was drafted days after the ploughshares acquittal in Dublin to give anyone who damages any U.S. military equipment anywhere in the world the status of "enemy combatant". Which means for these pacifist dissidents - kidnapping, rendering, state appointed lawyer, no jury, military tribunal, death penalty or life imprisonment as max sentence.
Willie knows how to parrot the imperial line as a loyal colonial servant. Hardly surprising when Minister Brennan had lied about the ploughshares assaulting and hospitalising a Garda back in feb 2003. The Garda in the hangar gave evidence three times under oath that there was no assault and hospitalisation and that one of the ploughshares attempted to comfort him while experienced a stress attack. Yet Brennan has never publicly retracted the assault accusations. Hardly surprising that Willie goes on to imply a bigger lie here.
Background on the pacifist plowshares movement can be found on the following sites
www.plowsharesactions.org
www.jonahhouse.org
www.peaceontrial.com
Sounds like your Defense Minister has caught the terror bug. Hyping up fear to crush dissent and keep the war escalating....just scream (or in Willie's case mumble) " terror terror terror" at every opportunity.
Meanwhile in Australia the first person convicted under the new anti-terror legislation just had their convictions quashed on appeal..
http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/119789.php
I wouldn't take Willie too seriously!! - He has a habit of muttering inanities from under his Charlie Chaplin moutache, hence the phrase "Mighty mouse in Limerick, Micky mouse in the Dail"
is the terror you feel when you realise that people like willie o dea are ru(i)nning our country
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