Niall Harnett jailed for opposing Shell

Niall Harnett, an Irish supporter of the campaign to stop Shell from building a refinery on land in Mayo, has been jailed for his non-violent civil disobedience.

In a disgracefully harsh sentence he received two consecutive periods of four months, making a total of eight months, in the squalid and remote Castlerea prison, where he has already spent 16 days.

In Ireland, even for violent offenders, sentences for two or more alleged offences, are almost invariably concurrent, meaning that innumerable sentences are all rolled up in one. Not so for this brave non-violent young man who has challenged the status quo, Shell and the State that sold out its natural resources in Mayo waters to Shell for nothing!

Niall's non-violent stand is too principled for the State to countenance. A Government minister had given away the people's ownership of our natural resources off the Mayo Coast and the people got nothing back in return. Then the Shell consortium proceeded to do what they wished in Mayo until the"Shell to Sea" campaign was set up to oppose them.

Five locals were jailed for contempt and spent 94 days in jail.

Another local, Maura Harrington, has been jailed three times, (see previous post) but this last time received bail. Niall's bail was too severe for him to accept on principle as it would keep him away from the scene of the action.

The Garda Síochána, the police force of the Irish State, often work hand in hand with Shell security police and have sometimes assaulted the protestors. No prosecutions have been made because of these assaults although some were shown on RTE News.

Niall comes to Dublin to appeal against the severity of his bail conditions on Monday, August 17th.

Ezra Nawi to be sentenced tomorrow in Israel

On Sunday August 16th, Ezra Nawi will stand trial for his beliefs in Israel. This is not the first time that Ezra Nawi stands trial for his beliefs. But it is the first time that they will probably be able to stop him.

He has been harassed and targeted throughout the years, because, he believes, he embodies three elements which provoke bigotry in the Israeli society: He is a homosexual, he is a Mizrahi Jew, and he devotes all of his time to fighting for the human rights of Arab Palestinians.

In his own words:
I always knew that many people silently supported me, and that if I ever got into trouble they would stand behind me. This moment has come.

Ezra adds: I am a simple person. I did what my heart told me to do. Looking back, I know that what my friends and I have done is changing the harsh reality of the occupation in the whole area of south Hebron. I feel that now the Israeli authorities are punishing me on a personal level.

I would like to believe that my personal adversity will inspire and motivate individuals to actively oppose the occupation.

Tripod Man and lock-on friends stop Shell in its tracks

Shell to Sea protestor James Marlow was arrested in Glengad Mayo on Sunday, 28 June, after he had delayed work on a controversial Shell pipe-line for up to six or seven hours. He suspended himself from the ground on a seventeen foot high tripod to protest and to impede Shell's work. Gardaí took three hours to build a scaffold around him. 

Work was further delayed on the highly controversial Shell project by a five-member lock-on team, arms bound together with cement sleeves. The total delay time was estimated at 12 hours.

Because the Irish Government gave away the rights of the Mayo oil field for nothing to a Shell led consortium and Shell bull-dozed their way over private property, bird sanctuaries, and through land owned by others, there has been local, national and international protest. A vibrant and heroic Shell-to-Sea protest group have made it difficult at every turn for Shell to realise their pipe dream.

The State and Shell are not happy. As a result of Sunday's action nine people have been charged but even while in prison on remand a Judge Devins put out warrants for the arrests of some of them.

One protestor received a vicious wound on the hand and arm from a Garda, a note-taker was deprived of note-book, a number were arrested for crossing the road.

Read an exciting account of the whole episode with brilliant pictures here: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/92918

Open letter to new US Ambassador to Ireland

To: Mr Dan Rooney
United States Ambassador to Ireland

Dear Ambassador Dan Rooney

Welcome to Ireland.

I have been listening to a small bit of the interview you gave to RTE 1 this (Saturday) morning and as you will be hearing from me from time to time, I thought it would be appropriate to begin by saying Céad Míle Fáilte.

There are issues which I wish to raise but let me first say that whether or not President Barack Obama intends to come to Ireland on an official visit is not one of them. Of course, should he come there is no doubt that he would be welcome. But there are more important issues in the world than the US President visiting Ireland.

These are some of these issues:

1. The United States of America under George W Bush has brought itself shame and disgrace in its acceptance of the lie that there were "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq and the ensuing "shock and awe" massacre inflicted on that country's inhabitants. Reparation is overdue.

2. Even before Mr Bush's disastrous Presidency, Bill Clinton's USA administration had caused the deaths of a half million children under five, also in Iraq, through unjust and wholly unnecessary sanctions. Madeline Albright's infamous reply to a question on this matter was that she thought the price was worth it. Reparation is overdue.

3. The sympathy garnered worldwide because of the infamous bombing of the Twin Towers evaporated because of the actions of George W Bush.

4. The present policy of President Obama of "pursuing Osama Bin Laden" by bombing Afghanistan (January 23, June 18 and June 23 as well as several less well reported attacks) and Pakistan is wrong and counter-productive. It is more important to realise that it is wrong. All bombing should end.

5. Ireland's civil Shannon Airport is being used by the US military to wage this war in Afghanistan, which violates Irish neutrality. . On this question, the Irish Government is out of step with the people. 130,000 marched in Dublin against the war in Iraq, yet the then Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, granted George Bush the use of Shannon for war purposes. A Dublin jury acquitted five peace activists who prevented a plane from going to Iraq (and their decision was unanimous). The US should stop using Shannon as a military conduit now.

6. The US policy towards Israel has been disastrous, giving massive amounts of dollars without strings attached for military aid to a State (Israel)that occupies its neighbour Palestine, a State (Israel) that is guilty of flagrant human rights abuses against the people of Palestine, a State (Israel) that carried out a massacre in Gaza as recently as December/January last, a State (Israel) that violently attacks peaceful demonstrators on a weekly basis in villages like Bil'in and Nil'in, often wounding and sometimes killing unarmed and peaceful demonstrators at these demonstrations.

The US has not opposed Israel's secret nuclear arsenal and its disgraceful lack of inspection by the IAEA, at the same time that israel was denying liberty to speak or to leave Israel to Mordechai Vanunu, the whistle-blower who told the world about Israel's ugly secret. Vanunu spent 17 and a half years in prison, (eleven in solitary confinement), was freed from prison in April 2004 and has been confined to Israel since then under draconian conditions. It is sad that the IAEA were at that very time funking to examine Israel's nuclear stockpile in Dimona but were stalled in Tel Aviv plotting with the Israelis to keep tabs on Vanunu.

As you know, at present, the aid boat for Gaza, Spirit of Humanity, with its 21 international peace activists has been seized by Israel, all the passengers held in prison, including US and Irish citizens.
Among those peace activists, now prisoners, is Irish Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire who was herself, on a previous visit, gassed and wounded by a direct hit from an IDF soldier at a peaceful demonstration against the Wall in Bil'in.

The patent fear of all recent US Presidents to talk straight to Israel was at its peak during the Bush Administration but, in spite of hopes to the contrary, much has not changed since President Obama came to power. Particularly disappointing has been the failure of George Mitchell to enter Gaza and see for himself the devastation that has recently been visited on the people there.

President Obama has rightly spoken out against the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators in Iran but he has not spoken out against the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators in Israel. And isn't it ironic that the demonstrations in Iran were because of an election and election results that may not have been free and fair?

The President's recent speech in Cairo, while broadly welcome and unbiased, had one crucial element missing. It went along with the lie that no free and fair elections had been held in Palestine, that Hamas are not the legitimate rulers of the country since 2006, that Israel should not talk to Hamas not even in conjunction with the Palestinian Authority (Fatah), who were defeated by Hamas in the same elections.

The crucial paragraph in the President's speech was this:

"The Palestinian Authority must develop its capacity to govern, with institutions that serve the needs of its people. Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, recognize Israel's right to exist."

This was a de facto recognition of the Israeli and Bush position that fair and free elections in Palestine were not to be recognized - because of who won them. This is a total abnegation of the rights of a people and an attack on the democratic process. It was saying that Fatah (Israel's choice) rather than Hamas (the people's choice) are the legitimate rulers of Palestine - free and fair election results to the contrary notwithstanding.

It was also a one-sided and biased comment in that it called on Hamas alone to put an end to violence. Israel was not called on to renounce violence, nor Fatah. That was simply endorsing Israeli policy and parroting an Israeli tune.

The comment also ignored the fact that, on many recent occasions, Hamas has asked Israel for peace talks saying that it does recognise Israel's right to exist.

How can the President know of Hamas's point of view, unfiltered by an Israeli presentation of it, without engaging directly with Hamas?

In football parlance, Israel has not been playing according to the rules of the game and the US, as self-appointed referee, is not enforcing those rues, instead turning a blind eye to the Israeli foul play.

Is the United States afraid of Israel and if so, why?

The US should end its present blind policy of support for Israel no matter what heinous crimes she carries out. All military aid should stop and efforts towards peace and justice should be initiated with the full participation of Israel, Hamas and Fatah.

The above are by no means the only issues that concern me but I think you will agree that for the moment they are sufficient.

With best personal wishes for a long, happy and fruitful stay in Ireland

Justin Morahan
Pacifist and Human Rights activist

Mairead in Obamaland

PEACE LAUREATE DETAINED BY HOME SECURITY IN USA

On May 15th last my friend Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, was detained by Home Security in the new Obamaland that is the USA

She was returning from Guatemala where she was attending a Women's Conference hosted by women Nobel Laureates.

According to a press release from the Free Gaza Movement, she was pressurized to tick a box that stated she was a criminal! The news came late and I have contacted Mairead for further details.

We have been hoping against hope that President Barack Obama would change the soul of the American administration from the evil ghost it had become under George W Bush and Bill Clinton.

Is hope still alive? Is the President a kind of Pope John XXIII, gagged and hindered from doing what he wants to do by Congress and sinister powers that can control Congress?

Are his disastrous and murderous incursions into Afghanistan a sop to those powers before he feels strong enough to bring all the troops home?

It is a dire prospect that he would gamble with lives and human rights like this.

And this is the better of two terrible scenarios