THE chairperson of Veterans for Peace Ireland, Edward Horgan laid a wreath of white poppies at the Pery war memorial in Limerick last week to commemorate Armistice Day.
Mr Horgan said he also wished to acknowledge “the futility of all wars and the urgent need to make peace instead of making ever more destructive wars”.
He paid a visit to Shannon Airport on the same day and photographed a US Navy C40 aircraft being refuelled.
Mr Horgan has now accused the Irish government of celebrating Armistice Day “by refuelling US military aircraft at Shannon Airport and abandoning Irish neutrality”.
Pointing out that the Irish Constitution states “war shall not be declared and the state shall not participate in any war save with the assent of Dáil Éireann”, Mr Horgan said: “Yet we are participating in wars in the Middle East daily by refuelling US military aircraft at Shannon Airport”.
He continued: “The court is prepared to hold therefore that there is an identifiable rule of customary law in relation to the status of neutrality whereunder a neutral state may not permit the movement of large numbers of troops or munitions of one belligerent State through its territory en route to a theatre of war with another.
“Ireland’s traditional role as a genuine neutral state promoting international peace and justice has now been replaced by Ireland joining military ‘Coalitions of the Complicit’ helping the United States and other NATO Countries to bomb and destroy other states and to overthrow their governments, for example, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. The resulting chaos has let the refugee crisis, for which there is no solution except to make peace in the MIddle East instead of making war and mayhem.”
Elsewhere, a statement released by An Garda Síochána following terrorist attacks in Paris last Friday said that the threat level to Ireland remains unchanged.
Following an intelligence assessment review, Gardaí say “the threat environment in this jurisdiction at the moment can be described as one where “an attack is possible but not likely”.
An Garda Síochána says it will keep ongoing issues in France and elsewhere “under review” and ensure that “Garda resources are deployed in a manner commensurate with the current security situation”.
Meanwhile, during a visit to Ennis last week, US Ambassador Kevin O’Malley defended the US military’s use of Shannon Airport. saying he was “glad that the laws of Ireland permit our military to have our soldiers pass through here”.
He added that there were “differences of opinion” between people in the United States and Europe regarding aspects of foreign policy.
The Ambassador also said he was delighted that Shannon Airport was doing well and “that American commercial transportation companies are using Shannon”.
