Refuelling War ongoing at Shannon airport

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Sunday September 27, 2009 19:46

by Edward Horgan - www.shanonwatch.org

Women's group Knit-In at Shannon to expose truth

This weekend, Shannon airport was almost deserted of civilian air traffic. However, its transformation into a WARPORT is no longer just a slogan, it comes close to reality. On Saturday the usual OMNI Air US troop-carrying planes were joined by a Hercules C130 probably transporting munitions to the US wars on Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iraq. An oil-tanker was docked at the Shannon airport Jetty delivering aviation fuel to fuel the aircraft including the warplanes. On Sunday Top-Oil oil company was refuelling another Hercules C130 in the centre of the airport. An Irish Army patrol performed security duties, instead of arresting the potential war criminals.

Air France, Ryanair, US Warplanes Hercules C130 and Omni Air Shannon 26 Sept09

These events did not go unnoticed or unmarked. A women's peace group led by Margaretta Darcy spent 24 hours at the airport engaged in a KNIT-IN for Peace, and keeping a close watch on the transit of the warplanes through the airport.

Separately, three men in a boat launched Peace and anti-Lisbon signs on a raft in the Shannon Estuary Lagoon in front of the airport.

The Women’s Knit-In group at Shannon airport this weekend was symbolic of the ongoing and continuing efforts by peace-activists for various parts of Ireland to expose the truth of the abuse of Shannon airport and Irish neutrality by the transit of US troops and munitions on their way to wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Iraq. The signs they carried remind us that this has now being going on for 8 years at the cost of over one million lives, mainly innocent civilians including up to 250,000 children. The Women’s Knit-In Group staged a 24 hour vigil, from noon on Sat 26 to well past noon on Sunday 27 Sept 09.

Meanwhile, three men in a boat, a traditional currach, made in Conemara, set out into the Shannon Estuary on Sat morning. At they approached Shannon airport, they had to delay their entry into the Lagoon just in front of the airport because a Fuel ship was in the process of docking at the Shannon airport marine jetty to deliver its load of aviation fuel, that will fuel not only the civilian aircraft using Shannon, but also the US warplanes. The lagoon in the Shannon mudflats is a hazardous area for boating due to its dangerous currents, and its tendency to rapidly become a no-go area when the tide goes out. They launched a raft in the Lagoon with peace and anti-war and anti-Lisbon signs. This is a symbolic and practical effort to reclaim a little peace of Shannon for peaceful purposes. It is also an important part of the campaign that will be ongoing, regardless of the results of the Lisbon Referendum, to expose and achieve accountability and atonement for the crimes against humanity faciliated at Shannon airport.

Meanwhile, the Washing Post has revealed that two Guantanamo detainees have already been sent to Ireland. It is reasonable to assume that the Irish Government has received assurances from the US Government that none of these two former Guantanamo prisoners were transported to Guantanamo through Shannon airport, because if that were so, then they could take a case against the Irish Government for complicity in their unlawful imprisonment and torture in the Irish courts. Its likely therefore these two prisoners at least went to Guantanamo by the southern route via Spain or Portugal. However, many more are likely to have been taken to Guantanamo via the northern route via Shannon.

Hewrcules C130 Being refuelled at Shannon 27Sept09