Shannonwatch is hosting a series of events at Shannon Airport on October 8th and 9th to mark the 15th anniversary of the illegal US-led invasion of Afghanistan. Please email us on shannonwatch@gmail.com if you are interested in attending some or all of what is planned.
Background
15 years after the US invaded Afghanistan on the pretext of a “war on terror” and on the flawed basis of UN resolution 1368, the country is in chaos. So too are Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Palestine and Syria where hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost in brutal attacks on the ground or from the air. Millions of people have had to flee from these conflicts, only to be met by more brutality when they sought refuge in Europe.
While the role played by ISIS, Russia, the Assad regime in Syria and many others should not be ignored, the disintegrating of so many countries in the Middle East after foreign intervention owes a lot to US intervention, either direct or covert, and to ongoing US support for one of the main aggressors. Ireland, a country that claims to be neutral, has supported US militarised interventions in the Middle East since the initial invasion of Afghanistan on October 7th 2001. Over 2.5 million armed troops have passed through Shannon Airport since then, and they continue to do so on an almost daily basis. Rendition planes have also been allowed to come and go, with the authorities turning a blind eye to their presence. And all the while the mainstream media has largely failed in its duty to investigate and report on what has been going on at Shannon.
On the weekend of October 8th and 9th Shannonwatch will host a range of activities to reflect on the 15 years of terror since the US invasion of Afghanistan, and on Ireland and Shannon’s complicity in the ongoing imperialist warmongering.
October 8th
14:00 – 17:00: Seminar and discussion on US imperialism and militarization today at the Park Inn, Shannon. Speakers include Robert Fantina of World Beyond War, a global nonviolent movement to end war and establish a just and sustainable peace, and Gearóid O’Colmáin, an Irish journalist living in Paris who has appeared on RT and Press TV. Attendance is free but please email shannonwatch@gmail.com to confirm attendance.
19:00 onwards: Celebration of Peace – an evening of food, music and conversation at Shannon. Details to be announced soon.
October 9th
13:00 – 15:00 Peace Rally. Gather at Shannon Town Centre at 13:00 and walk to airport. Family-friendly. Bring banners, bugles and peace flags.
Robert Fantina is an activist and journalist, working for peace and social justice. He writes extensively about the oppression of the Palestinians by apartheid Israel. He is the author of several books, including ‘Empire, Racism and Genocide: A History of U.S. Foreign Policy’. His writing appears regularly on Counterpunch.org, MintPressNews and several other sites. Originally from the U.S., Mr. Fantina moved to Canada following the 2004 U.S. presidential election, and now resides in Kitchener, Ontario. Visit his web page at http://robertfantina.com/.
Gearóid Ó Colmáin, Paris correspondent for American Herald Tribune, is a journalist and political analyst. His work focuses on globalization, geopolitics and class struggle. His articles have been translated into many languages. He is a regular contributor to Global Research, Russia Today International, Press TV English, Press TV France,Sputnik Radio France, Sputnik Radio English , Al Etijah TV, and has also appeared on Al Jazeera , Al Mayadeen TV and Russia’s Channel One. He writes in English, Irish and French.
