Galway Advertiser runs fake story about Amnesty and GAAW

by John Wed Jul 30, 2008 00:34

While I agree with Edward and Fred that we need positive actions and not attention to misguided or mischievous reporting, the comment above by Observation that “the last couple of years they [Amnesty] have taken up renditions on their activist front AFTER it was embraced as an issue by mainstream media” deserves a response. Even if it were true, it is unfair to imply that joining or supporting a campaign that others gained media attention for is in any way less sincere or less important than taking part in early high-profile actions on that campaign.

Many of us spend hours trying to convince others that they should support efforts to end human rights abuse, war, and Ireland’s complicity in both. We should not think any less of their support if they give it on the basis of having read something in the mainstream media.

The campaign to end Shannon and Ireland’s complicity in war and human rights abuse will end only when it is successful. And this will happen only when there is sufficient mainstream public pressure to end it AND/OR through legal efforts to clarify and enforce national/international law AND/OR when efforts to lobby the Irish government are successful. Through a variety of strategic approaches and an array of tactics, many organizations and individuals are working towards these goals and towards change and accountability. Amnesty plays an important role in all this as do other organizations, movements and individuals.

To the call for positive actions I would add a call for coordinated, combined and complementary actions. Tactics may vary from one group to another, but in the end we are striving for the same thing – an end to the human rights abuses and suffering that Ireland is aiding and abetting. And as Edward said, public apathy is not as widespread as we are often led to believe. But we have to work together effectively to get others to speak out.

The next Shannon vigil is on Aug 10 at 5pm. Amnesty members, GAAW members, and everyone who opposes the use of the airport by the US military and their torturer accomplices is invited and encouraged to protest together there.

by Fred Johnston Mon Jul 28, 2008 14:54

Ed Horgan is right, of course: all efforts should be concentrated at Shannon and not in trying to do a Sherlock Holmes job on what is clearly an effort to manufacture localised anti-war dissension; though I am inclined to agree with the commentator who remarks that Amnesty, worthy group though they are, did come late, especially in Galway, to the business of highlighting atrocities at Guantanamo. Paper never refused ink and God knows how allegedly faked-up stories make it into the media: journalistic laziness as much as anything else? Again one of the difficulties here is the ability of `anti-war activist ' to shelter behind an assumed name. I would be inclined to think that the more these doubts and weird stories appear, the more successful the campaign at Shannon is becoming; the stories are merely a symtom of the unease felt in certain quarters that the campaigns at Shannon might prove successful.

by anti-war activist Mon Jul 28, 2008 00:38

Mark, according to the website the story was in the City Tribune, I think, and as far as I know not the Galway Advertiser.

by x Sun Jul 27, 2008 15:21

Galway Bay FM is owned by The Connacht Tribune, the same company thats outsourcing its printing opperation with the loss of 15+ jobs and the last newspaper works in Galway.
Corporate media has a very strong grip on Galway news

by anti-war activist Sun Jul 27, 2008 13:58

In answer to Mary's question: not based in Galway right now, but came across the story here http://www.galwaynews.ie/4134-amnesty-international-dis...ition

and it seemed a strange thing for Amnesty to do, so I thought it would be of interest - and wanted clarification for myself. So, no I'm not part of some global neo-con conspiracy.

Here FYI is a comment I've posted on one of Edward's Shannon articles. http://www.indymedia.ie/article/88451&comment_limit=0&c...33435

There does seem to be a bit of paranoia about in Galway?

by Edward Horgan Sun Jul 27, 2008 13:16

Efforts are being made, that are sometimes sophisticated, to sow divisions and spread false rumours within the peace / anti-war movement. It is imporant that we counter these efforts by positive actions. This article is just one example. The other thread often seen on indymedia is the effort to portray our efforts as pointless in the face of widespread public apathy among Irish people about the role of Shannon airport in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Lisbon Treaty referendum results clearly show that there is no such apathy. Even though the media operated a virtual boycott of the issues of neutrality, and anti-war during the Lisbon campaign, opinion polls consistantly show that these were important reasons for the rejection of Lisbon.

Meanwhile, to get back on topic, the need to search aircraft at Shannon airport continues to exist on a daily basis.
On Friday 25 July, I took the photos attached of US air force Hercules C 130 warplanes at Shannon airport.
Planes like these were used to bring many of the prisoners from the Middle East to Guantanamo in 2002 and 2003.
They are used daily to bring troops and war materials to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Suspisious activity, US airforce Hercules C130 at Shannon 25July08 0.13 Mb Two Hercules C130 at Shannon 25July08 0.18 Mb

by Mary Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:28

What puzzles me is why "anti-war activist" took so long to publish this nonsense? Did he just stumble on this story in the Connacht Tribune while on a visit to Galway. Or is this anti-war activist from Galway? if so, why as an activist did he not know that this story is a heap of crap, because anyone active in the anti-war movement in galway knows it to be a lie? The real question therefore is: who is mr/ms/mrs anti-war activist?

by anti-war activist Sun Jul 27, 2008 11:17

Is there some way a formal complaint could be made to Galway Bay FM, or about Galway Bay FM to whoever? If they invented a story like this, it's a pretty outrageous abuse.http://www.galwaybayfm.ie/

by Sarah - People's Inspection Sun Jul 27, 2008 11:12

The papers reported it because Galway Bay Fm ran it, why Galway Bay FM ran it I don't know but maybe it was just a quiet newsday! Anyway for sure it's not true because I was there on June 25th and so were Amnesty.

by anti-war activist Sun Jul 27, 2008 11:11

The original letter, proposing peoples' inspections, with its 30 signatories can be read on the Irish Anti-war website
http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/187

by anti-war activist Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:41

It did sound a bit strange, alright. What were the Galway City Tribune/Connacht Sentinel doing publishing it then? Is there some sort of agenda there?

by Sarah - N/A Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:08

This story is untrue- Colm O Gorman and Ed Horgan spoke in the Galway City Museum to launch the people's inspection team last month, about forty people attended. At the time Galway Bay FM ran this story for reasons only known to themselves and they were (as far as I know )corrected by the Amnesty Head office.

by Observation Sun Jul 27, 2008 07:33

Amnesty are very corporate, politically moderate and have really come late to the ambulance chase on rendition. Everythhing A.I. Corp does is primarily about promoting the Amnety brand. They are fearful of damaging that brand in terms of where they get their enormous amount of money from.

The last couple of years they have taken up renditions on their activist front AFTER it was embraced as an issue by mainstream media. In London at the Gitmo anniversarry photo op atthe U.S. Embassy, he Amnesty brand was so huge on their photo op orange Gitmo outfits, the size the scale would piss off most professional footbal clubs in terms of the size of similar sponsorship logos

In D.C. they tried, and failed, to get the Catholic Workers www.witnesstorture.org to abandon the civil disobedience NVDA aspect to their demonstration at this year Gitmo anniversary demonstrations. Amnesty warned anyone carrying the A.I. logo not to go anywhere near the disciplined (check the link ) NVDA of the C.W.'s

In Ireland of course Amnesty is running with the renditions at Shannon and ignoring along with the mainstream media (is there a pattern there?) the more siginifcant and numerically greater issue of Shannon as a transit stop for U.S. killers and torturers commuting to Iraq.

In this issue, as in most, the radical opposition create the issue and thepolitical space, the well funded NGO's come in and colonise that space and sell out the radicals leaving them high and dry. Amnesty would see GAAW in a market they wish to monopolise and Amnesty corporates would run a mile from a hint of NVDA or nonviolent civil disobedience. This is not to say there aren't wonderul people an activists in the grassroots Amnesty branches.