Death Threat to Galway Peace Activist

galway | anti-war / imperialism | press release

Tuesday March 11, 2008 12:41

by GAAW - Galway Alliance Against War

As Galway peace activists prepare for next Saturday's anti-war event in Dublin, the last thing they expected is for their spokesperson to receive a death threat to GAAW's mobile number. The male caller had a west of Ireland accent and repeatedly made threatening and obscene remarks to NIall Farrell.

The spokesperson of Galway’s local peace group, Niall Farrell, received an anonymous death threat by phone on Monday afternoon. The call came through to GAAW’s mobile phone, the number of which appeared in a local paper publicising a peace bus that will be going from Galway to the anti-war demonstration in Dublin next Saturday.

The caller specifically asked for Mr Farrell and when GAAW’s PRO identified himself, he was told that he was to be shot. The caller specifically stated: “You are going to be shot just like your fucking sister.”

Mr Farrell’s only sister, Mairéad, was shot dead by the British SAS in March 1988. She was part of an unarmed IRA active service unit. Over the last 10 days there have been a series of commemorative events in Belfast and Gibraltar to mark the killings of the Three and four others who were killed in Belfast subsequently.

Niall Farrell has confirmed that he has been in contact with the Gardaí over this death threat. “Over the last number of months – particularly since the cancellation of the Salthill War Show – there have been a number of inflammatory statements made by a certain Fianna Fail councillor. In one of his latest self-publicising tirades that councillor has called for members of our peace group to be removed from the city – whatever that is supposed to mean. Now I receive a death threat, which included appalling comments about my late sister and my mother. It is up to the Fianna Fail councillor to explain exactly what he meant by removing GAAW from the city. Naturally, we will not be intimidated by the threats from annonymous callers or inflammatory comments from gombeen politicians.”

In late January Galway Alliance Against War wanted to highlight the use of Shannon airport by CIA torture jets involved in “extraordinary rendition” and announced that they intended to dress the statue of Irish patriot Liam Mellows in the orange prison garb of the US Gunatanamo camp. This led to the controversial statement by Fianna Fail councillor Michael Crowe.