Shannon
People began to link their arms on the ground. The Gardai moved in and began to arrest people - they ultimately arrested ten people. Including a number of those that they identified as 'ring leaders.' Five of the people that were arrested were from Cork, including myself.
Essentially, I was arrested when I refused to leave. I was given a number of warnings I explained what we were engaged in was an act of conscience to protect the lives of people in Iraq. We were opposed to the facilitation of the U.S. war machine and that we believed that Civil Disobedience was acceptable and justified in that context.
We were arrested and brought to the Shannon Garda station, subsequently charged and brought to court and found guilty of trespass.
My personal penalty was a fine of 750 euros plus I was banned from County Claire for two years. I couldn't in my own conscience pay the fine. For me, it would be the equivalent of paying an entrance fee to protest. I will not pay 750 euros for the right to protest against the use of a civilian airport to kill people.
Shannon airport is a civilian airport but it has been effectively integrated into the US war machine. It is not hyperbole to say that it is a US Air Base at this stage. A hundred thousand US troops went through Shannon airport in 2003. In September 100s of flights went through and 10,000 soldiers.
At the time, we were protesting in Oct 2002 it had already been used extensively to support the invasion of Afghanistan. But it was also being used, according to documents that were released in Ed Horgan's case, to ferry through Patriot Missiles. In fact, Patriot Missiles had already passed through Shannon at that stage.
There is no question that Shannon is part of the US war machine. And I am absolutely incapable of paying for the right to protest against the misuse of an Irish civilian airport. It is being used to kill people and people should bare that in mind when they consider whether or not to support people like myself who are going to jail.
�Finton Lane/indymedia Nov.23.03
link Wildfire
Finton Lane homepage
People began to link their arms on the ground. The Gardai moved in and began to arrest people - they ultimately arrested ten people. Including a number of those that they identified as 'ring leaders.' Five of the people that were arrested were from Cork, including myself.
Essentially, I was arrested when I refused to leave. I was given a number of warnings I explained what we were engaged in was an act of conscience to protect the lives of people in Iraq. We were opposed to the facilitation of the U.S. war machine and that we believed that Civil Disobedience was acceptable and justified in that context.
We were arrested and brought to the Shannon Garda station, subsequently charged and brought to court and found guilty of trespass.
My personal penalty was a fine of 750 euros plus I was banned from County Claire for two years. I couldn't in my own conscience pay the fine. For me, it would be the equivalent of paying an entrance fee to protest. I will not pay 750 euros for the right to protest against the use of a civilian airport to kill people.
Shannon airport is a civilian airport but it has been effectively integrated into the US war machine. It is not hyperbole to say that it is a US Air Base at this stage. A hundred thousand US troops went through Shannon airport in 2003. In September 100s of flights went through and 10,000 soldiers.
At the time, we were protesting in Oct 2002 it had already been used extensively to support the invasion of Afghanistan. But it was also being used, according to documents that were released in Ed Horgan's case, to ferry through Patriot Missiles. In fact, Patriot Missiles had already passed through Shannon at that stage.
There is no question that Shannon is part of the US war machine. And I am absolutely incapable of paying for the right to protest against the misuse of an Irish civilian airport. It is being used to kill people and people should bare that in mind when they consider whether or not to support people like myself who are going to jail.
�Finton Lane/indymedia Nov.23.03
link Wildfire
Finton Lane homepage
