01.05.25 18:10, Shannon Airport:
Three people have entered the airport runway, attempting to inspect a plane on contract to the US military.
The Palestine Action Éire activists allege that the Omni Air Boeing 767-300 CRAF that landed at Shannon Airport today is supplying troops and munitions to active warzones in the Middle East, including Israel and Yemen. They claim that this is in direct violation of Ireland’s constitutional commitment to neutrality, and in breach of international law.
A recent ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as a recent report by Amnesty International, concluded that it is plausible that a genocide is taking place against the Palestinian people. One of the markers of genocide used in the ICJ ruling is the deliberate starvation of civilians. In June 2024 The Lancet estimated that Israel has killed over 186,000 civilians in Palestine since October 2023. Since the breakdown of the ceasefire on the 18th of March, all humanitarian aid to Gaza has been halted. Many humanitarian organisations on the ground are now reporting that if the International community does not act urgently to demand that aid be allowed to enter Gaza, widespread famine will soon break out, due to shortages of food and water.
The activists claims are contextualised by The Ditch’s investigative reporting, and the Military Tracker project, which confirms that US weapons and military personnel are regularly travelling to the Middle East, including directly to Israel, via Shannon Airport. This is in direct breach of Ireland’s constitutional commitment to neutrality, which specifies that Ireland shall not participate in any war. Additionally they demand that the Department of Foreign Affairs stops permitting flights carrying weapons and military equipment through Irish Airspace, another flagrant breach of Neutrality and the ICJ ruling. In 2024 alone, such flights were permitted 1,267 times according to the Irish Examiner. A recent opinion poll in the Irish Examiner showed that 75% of Irish people across the political spectrum support Ireland’s position of neutrality. The Irish Government is thereby acting against the will of the people of Ireland. Edward Horgan, who has spent decades documenting activity with ShannonWatch, confirmed that “the number of US Military planes coming through Shannon has increased significantly in the last few months as the killing and destruction on the ground in Palestine has ramped up.”
Today’s activists join the legacy of over 40 activists who have taken action against the US Military at Shannon Airport in the last 20 years.
A statement from a Palestine Action Éire activist said the following: “Our government is literally fueling genocide. The government continues to allow troops and weapons through Shannon against the democratic will of the people! Over the last year and a half I’ve realised that the only way to disrupt the war machine is through Direct Action. I’m doing what is necessary to save innocent lives because when I am older I want to be able look back and say I did everything I could to stop this genocide. Saoirse don Phailaistín”
–Ends–
Images and Footage: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/elz9zyupxfx2vrt21ycfx/ADicxSog3AFpKCzd2AWAvsk?rlkey=d280btivdm2b3gusm99xw94um&st=p3qw4nft&dl=0
For further information contact Palestine Action Eire: palactioneire@riseup.net +353 89 963 5174