Shannonwatch

Colm Roddy was "up for mention" at Ennis District Court today as a result of efforts by himself and Dave Donnellan to search two US military aircraft at Shannon Airport almost one year ago. Judge Durcan, who last November had struck out the charges against Colm Roddy had initially forgotten his previous dismissal of these charges, and then when he remembered, sought more information from the prosecution about the DPP's decision to overturn Judge Durcan's ruling in November. Inspector Kennedy was not in court and the prosecuting inspector knww nothing of te case, so the matter was adjourned once again to Wed 26th April.

Full report from our Court correspondent ...

On Friday, St Patrick's Day, Taoiseach Enda Kenny will pay homage to the man he called racist last year, Donald Trump.

When they meet there will be no mention of our neutrality, or the millions of mwn, women and children we have helped Trump's predecessors to kill in the Middle East.

No mention of the continued use of Shannon to kill and main.

No mention of the recent revelation that the US used depleted uranium in Syria in 2015.

Or the expected $60bn Trump will spend on military interference in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and other countries in the next year. Trump is increasing the military budget as a whole to close to $1trillion.

There will be no mention of Trump's determination to ramp up the nuclear arms race.

Reading the name of Nawar al Awlaki, killed by US special forces in Yemen on 29th January 2017

Our Peace Vigil at Shannon today was a windy affair but Spring was in the air, so the joys of the season should have been evident. However Shannonwatch and other NGO research has revealed that war related deaths of children in the Middle East since the 1991 First Gulf War may have amounted to up to one million children dead. Since we in Ireland have been partly complicit in these deaths as a result of US military use of Shannon Airport we had started a project to try and put names on as many of these children who have died as possible. To us and of course to their families these children's deaths are not just "collateral damage".

The peace and human rights group Shannonwatch will hold a public meeting at the Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee this Saturday 4th March at 2pm. It will look at Irelands's support for US wars of invasion and occupation by allowing armed US troops to pass through Shannon Airport on their way to Iraq and elsewhere despite claims that we are a neutral country. Speakers will include Edward Horgan and John Lannon of Shannonwatch, and Hashim Alhadeedy who is one of the many people who has had to flee from the war in Iraq. It is an open meeting, and everone is welcome to attend.

The people of the Middle East, especially children, need the help of the Irish people to stop wars and make peace. We, the people of Ireland need to restore Irish neutrality and get US military out of Shannon airport.

From our Court Correspondent

This case arises as a result of a communicative peace activist protest action taken by Colm Roddy and Dave Donnelan on 25 May 2016, when they entered Shannon airport to search two US military aircraft, which they felt legally and morally obliged to search, because Gardai at Shannon airport have been directed by the Irish Government not to search or investigate any US military aircraft at Shannon airport.

When the case was called there was confusion from the outset, caused partly by the fact that at the last hearing held on 16^th November 2016, when the case against Colm Roddy was struck out by Judge Durcan, neither Inspector Kennedy not Judge Grainne O'Neill, who was presiding today, were present, so both were new to the complexities of Colm's present legal situation.

Colm (second from left) with friends and supporters outside Shannon Garda Station after his re-arrest

Gardai at Shannon have, over the years, failed in their duty to investigate torture and complicity in war crimes, and systematically avoided searching or investigating aircraft associated with the US military or CIA. As a result, Irish citizens have felt morally and legally obliged to do what the Gardai are refusing to do, that is search US and CIA aircraft at Shannon. Colm Roddy and Dave Donnellan attempted to do this last May, and were arrested for so doing. Theyhave been before the courts on several occasions in the meantime on spurious and unjustified charges of doing criminal damage.

This is an extract from the report on their court appearance of 16th Nov last 

"Colm began by complaining about the manner in which he had been arrested this morning by Garda Colm Moriarty, when he had arrived in Ennis today of his own accord from Dublin as he had done for each of the previous days hearings.