Shannon Airport "Pitstop Ploughshares"

In early 2003 a US military plane was disarmed, twice, by peace activist.

The first disarmament action took place on 29th January, when Mary Kelly enterred the airport, and did €750,000 worth of damage to a plane.
After spending some days in Limerick Prison, she has been released on bail. At her second trial, she was sentenced to 2 years suspended prison sentence.

The second disarmament action took place a few weeks later, when the same plane was disarmed as part of the "Pitstop Plougshares" action.
(more...)

Prison address

All of the "Pitstop Ploughshares" affinity group have been released from Limerick Prison. Deirdre Clancy, Karen Fallon, Damien Moran, Nuin Dunlop and Ciaron O'Rielly were released on bail, and after 3 trial were finally acquitted in July 2006.

www.peaceontrial.com

3rd trial: July 5th 2006

The third trial of the Pitstop Ploughshares 5 ended with their acquittal on 25th July 2006.

In a statement released immediately after the verdict the Pitstop Ploughshares said:
"The jury is the conscience of the community chosen randomly from Irish society. The conscience of the community has spoken. The government has no popular mandate in providing the civilian Shannon airport to service the US war machine in it's illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.
"In 1996 in Liverpool the Jury acquittal of the four 'ploughshares' women contributed to the end of arms exports to the Suharto dictatorship in Indonesia and the independence of East Timor.
"The decision of this jury should be a message to London, Washington DC and the Dail that Ireland wants no part in waging war on the people of Iraq. Refuelling of US warplanes at Shannon Airport should cease immediately. " - Ciaron, Damien, Karen, Deirdre and Nuin.

Second Trial collapses after judge's links with Bush are revealed

Report of the final day of the retrial

Report of Day 8 of the retrial

Report of Day 6 & 7 of the retrial

Report of Day 5 of the retrial

Report of Day 4 of the retrial

Report of Day 3 of the retrial

Report of Day 2 of the retrial

Report of Day 1 of the retrial

The Pit Stop Ploughshares Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon, Ciaron O'Reilly & Damien Moran spent 4 to 11 weeks in Limerick Prison. They went to trial in March 2005 on two counts of Criminal Damage -€100 and $U.S.2.5million. Penalties if convicted carry a maximum of ten years imprisonment. The week of trial saw 80 international & numerous Irish anti-war activists converge on Dublin. It was a week of public witness against the war, evenings of celebration of the disarmament and public meetings concerning ongoing Irish involvement in the war on Iraq.

The March trial collapsed on 6th. day when the Judge called a mistrial, dismissed the jury and instructed the media not to report on the reasons for a mistrial.

Nuin & Karen have been allowed to leave the country to return a month before trial. Deirdre, Ciaron & Damien are required to sign on weekly, all a banned from a 5 mile radius if Shannon Airport.

The Pit Stop Ploughshares 5 return to trial at Dublin's Four Courts on Monday October 24th. The trial is likely to run for a week. Pit Stop Ploughshares hope to run a series of events running up to and around the trial. They need your help. Please make contact.
Ph. 087 918 4552
ploughsharesireland@yahoo.ie
www.peaceontrial.com

Other Action Ideas

(Taken from the Pitstop Ploughshares website)

Donate to the Ploughshares Defense Fund by making cheques payable to "Peace and Reconciliation"
c/o Ploughshares
134 Phibsborough Rd.
Dublin 7
Ireland

Join the Catholic Worker activists in their prison fast and prayers for peace.

Vigil publicly at Shannon Airport, U.S./British Embassies, Aer Rianta, Irish Government offices involved in war preparations.

Gather with friends in communities of nonviolent resistance … sit in, speak out, blockade.

Offer solidarity to those travelling into the war zones of Iraq and Palestine to bear nonviolent witness.

Offer solidarity to those in front of the courts and in jail for bearing nonviolent resistance to the war machine at home. See www.nonviolence.org/nukeresister/ and www.peacenews.info

Prison letter from Ciaron O'Reilly

Feb 10 2003, Limerick Prison

Dear Friends,
Its a week since the 'Pit Stop Ploughshares' disarmament of a U.S navy plane at Shannon airport, Co. Clare Ireland. Shannon has become a major pitstop for U.S troop and munition movement into Kuwait and Qatar. The witness once again reveals the twin reality that the weapons are not secure ! / the weapons dont secure us ! Over 90 ploughshares communities over the last 23 years all arriving at the weapon systems they hope to disarm - many located in more intense security envoirnments than the hangar at Shannon. The presence of U.S troops and munitions in Ireland enroute to war is not only unconstitutional but endangers Iraqi, Irish and American lives.

The action itself was beautiful - After crawling through the sludge and muck of the airfield in the early hours of Feb 4th, we arrived at the hangar. The repairs on the warplane from Mary Kellys disarmament action the previous week had just been completed hours before. We spraypainted the hangar with " PITSTOP FOR DEATH" and " THE WAR STOPS HERE ! PHIL BERRIGAN R.I.P.
We constructed a shrine with photos of Iraqi children (joyous suffering under sanctions, killed by bombing), copies of the Bible and Quran, Islamic and rosary beads, St Brigids crosses, flowers. Human blood and water from Brigids well was poured on the runway and a mattock was used to begin to take the runway up. On the mattock was inscribed the Dorothy Day Quote "IF THEY SHOULD COME FOR THE INNOCENT WITHOUT STEPPING OVER YOUR BODY, CURSED BE YOUR RELIGION AND YOUR LIFE ! "

We managed to access the hangar making our way into the the main area containing the U.S navy war plane. We began to disarm the plane, two of the hammers had been used by the "ANZUS PLOUGHSHARES COMMUNITY" in their disarmament of a B-52 bomber in New York state on the eve of the last Gulf war (New Years Day - 91). One had then made the journey to the "BAE PLOUGHSHARES (-93) to "SEEDS OF HOPE PLOUGHSHARES (-96) to the " JUBILEE PLOUGHSHARES (2000). Notching up about 5 million euros worth of disarmament!. We also carried a huge green, white and gold inflatable hammer with "HAMMERED BY THE IRISH " printed on the head. Human blood representing the past present and future Iraqi slain and water from Brigids well of healing and peacemaking was poured on the war plane.
A garda was parked in the hangar. He pretty much suffered a panic attack during the disarmament. We tried to reassure and comfort him during the dissarmament. I guess those on gaurd at the tomb went through similar emotions during the ressurection. The only fears expressed by the Garda was of the response of the authorities ( eg. he may lose his job! ), he expressed no fear of us. After disabling the plane, we knelt around our inflatable hammer, reciting the rossary and singing.

The state reaction to our witness has been an avalanche of lies slander and hysteria. The Taoiseach, several ministers, the U.S emissary have all repeated the lie that we " OVERPOWERED AND HOSPITALISED A GARDA". This was later rejected by a Garda Siochaina press statement but keeps on being repeated( SAY IT THREE TIMES AND BELIEVE IT ! ! ! ). The government then deployed the army ( 150 soldiers and 4 armoured personnel carriers and the navy drafted in more Garda from Galway to secure the airport. " WORLD AIRWAYS" announced it was rerouting its flights through Frankfurt and we are generally being blamed for single handedly collapsing the economy in South West Ireland ! Air Rianta tried serving a high court injunction on us in the prison.
Upon arrest we began a fast in solidarity with the people of Iraq suffering under sanctions. Court support has been good - with friends travelling from Cork, Galway ,Dublin, Essex, Limerick Shannon Peace camp and house, to express solidarity. It has been great to have Nuria from Iraq and her daughter in court with us. Very moving when she offered her home as a bail address for Nuin - the U.S citizen in our group. From the people of Iraq to the people of the U.S to the people of Iraq - gifts of nonviolent resistance, hospitality and solidarity! We broke our fast together on the 5th day after the action.

We are a community drawn from the Irish experience. Deirdre is from Dublin, Damien from the midlands. Karen, Nuin and I spring from the Irish diaspora. We come from Irish communities in 3 nations that have been involved in this genocidal war of sanctions and bombing against the people of Iraq - Britain, U.S and Australia. We are a very young community. Karen and I have known each other for a few years through the Nipponzon Myhoji Buddhist Temple in Milton Keynes , the London Catholic Workers squat and the Faslane Peace Camp in Scotland where she had lived for the last couple of years. I met Deirdre at the end of October, Damien in November, Nuin on New Years Day . The community building and witness has been rushed due to the impending war that will disrupt and destroy many lives. We really need your love and solidarity to grow and stand steadfast as a community, to fully explore the ploughshares prophecy unleashed.

We have managed to piss off some extremely powerful people and the word has come down the line to hang us out to dry. This was evident at the recent bail hearing where Karen and I were denied bail outright and restrictive conditions to gag us were imposed on Damien, Deirdre and Nuin.

We remain in Limerick prison in solidarity with all those in the firing line of this genocidal war machine and all those on the loose and in chains nonviolently resisting it.
Love and Solidarity,
Ciaron ÓReilly.

Indviduals have international duties which transcend the national obligations of obedience. Therefore (individuals) have the duty to violate domestic laws to prevent crimes against peace and humanity from occuring (Nuremburg Tribunal 1946 -1946).

The US and UK have amassed a military force in preparation for a massive assault against Iraq. In the previous aggression against Iraq in 1991, terrible crimes against peace and crimes against humanity were committed by the US and UK armed forces.

The judgement of the Nuremburg Tribunal makes it clear that citizens have the right and duty to seek to prevent the crimes against peace and humanity that are clearly going to be committed against Iraq.

Six individuals are currently facing serious charges relating to the disabling of a US Navy plane at Shannon Airport:, Ireland. Mary Kelly, Damian Moran, Ciaron O'Reilly, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon and Deirdre Clancy. Their actions were inspired by the vision of Isaiah 2:4 to "beat swords into ploughshares." In accordance with the principles of the Nuremburg Tribunal, we demand that they are not criminalised for their actions.

Finian McGrath, Irish TD
Tony Gregory, Irish TD
Joe Higgins, Irish TD
Patricia McKenna, MEP
Noam Chomsky
Fr. Daniel Berrigan SJ & West Side Jesuit Community (12) NYC
George Monbiot, journalist & author
Senator David Norris, Ireland
Bronwen Maher, Irish Green Party Spokes person on Women Affairs
Richard Boyd Barrett, Chair Irish Anti-War Movement
Ardal O'Hanlon, Irish comedian aka "Fr.Dougal Maguire"
Scott Ritter, U.N. Weapons Inspector
Tariq Ali, English producer & journalist
Jeremy Hardy, journalist
Michael Christ, President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Fr. John Dear SJ, U.S. priest & author
Terence Fisher, former major Australian Regular Army
Ed Horgan, retired commandant, Irish Defence Forces
Rod Quantock, Australian comedian and writer
Heather Ripley, Scottish actress & activist
Jeanette Fitsimmons, co-leader Green Party of New Zealand
Nandor Tanczos, New Zealand Member of Parliament
Mike Ward, New Zealand Member of Parliament
Tony Benn, retired English Mp & minister
Bruce Kent, Chair of the Movement for the Abolition of War
Dr. Helen Caldicott, Australian physician & author
Alex Cox, English film director
Liam O'Maonlai, leadsinger "Hothouse Flowers"
Fr. Peter Kennedy, former Australian Navy Chaplain
Rod Donald, co-leader Green Party of New Zealand
Mary Condren, Irish feminist theologian & author
Professor Ivana Baciik, School of Law, Trinity College, Dublin
Dr. Zahir Alhilali, Iraqi physician
Fr. Brian O'Toole, Secretary of the Spiritan Congregation, Dublin
Sr. Majella McCarron, Lecturer at Kimmage Manor Institute of Theology and Anthropology, Dublin
Br. Christian Thuet, French Catholic Brother
Eoin Dubsky, Secretary of the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Haidi Giuliani - mother of Carlos, slain by Italian police at Genoa G8 Summit 2001
Rory Connoly, former gunner in the Irish Defence Forces
Les Gibbons, former British Marine
Kerry Nettle, Australian Senator

More info:

 Pitstop Ploughshares website