The Peace PeopleThe following is the full text of a talk given by Mairead Corrigan Maguire in Trinity College Dublin 27 October 2005 in support of the Pitstop Ploughshare 5 on trial in the Four Courts in Dublin.
Good evening everyone,
I want to thank the Pit Stop 5, Deidre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon, Damien Moran, and Ciaron O'Reilly for their action in disarming a US navy war plane at Shannon Airport on 3rd February, 2003. I am deeply inspired by their lives and courageous action. I know this action was done from the motive of love of their Iraqi brothers and sisters, whom they wished to save from further death and suffering, and also their American brothers and sisters, whom they did not wish to see kill, or be killed. I know they carried out this action in the spirit of the Catholic Worker Movement, founded by that great American peace activist, and person of vision and compassion, Dorothy Day. Their action was carried out after much prayer and reflection. They were deeply conscious that by carrying out nonviolent civil disobedience they would face ridicule, hardship, and great personal sacrifice. Yet, they said 'yes' to this duty of conscience. We are all deeply indebted to them for reminding us of the duty of each human person, to seek truth and then live out of that truth with as much integrity as possible. I believe, the truth is that every human life is sacred and we have no right to kill each other in violence and war, and we must do all in our power to protect the human dignity and safety of all our brothers and sisters where-ever they live. We have all responsibility as citizens, and the Pitstop 5 were trying to do what our Courts and Governments are supposed to do, prevent further crimes against the Iraqi people.
The Pitstop 5, took seriously the following words from the Nuremberg Principles and the International Court which says: "INDIVIDUALS 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 OCCURRING".
The Pitstop 5 were following their conscience AND fulfilling their duty as Citizens and their International responsibilities by trying to stop yet another war, occupation and invasion of Iraq.
Today the Pitstop 5 were yet again appearing at Dublin's Four Courts on 'criminal charges' and if these charges are not dropped and they are not set free they could face up to 10 years in prison. It is a sad day for Ireland, when it criminalizes its peacemakers and the Irish Government, whose role is to protect its Irish Citizens and the International community, facilitates the American military, through Shannon airport, to continue its killing, torture, incineration, internment, invasion and occupation of a Sovereign country. Surely, it is not the Pitstop 5, but the Irish President, as head of the Armed Forces and Irish State, and the Irish Government, who should be called to account by the Irish people for facilitating this barbaric war and invasion of Iraq by allowing the militarization of Shannon Airport and putting in jeopardy Irish citizens' safety and Irish Neutrality.
We all knew that over half a million Iraqi children under the age of 5 died unnecessarily due to UK/USA/UN sanctions and that Iraq was slowing being destroyed. We all knew there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. We all knew there was no collaboration between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda on the 9.11 attacks. We all knew that the UN did not sanction a war against Iraq. The War on Iraq was illegal and the killing of people in Iraq amounted to mass murder, and an Act of State Terrorism. The Irish Government's collaboration by granting of 'over flight' permission and 'landing rights' at Shannon, I believe, amounted to 'aiding and abetting' that criminality, that murder, and is itself a crime.
Facilitating 'aiding and abetting' an illegal action, is surely also 'an illegal act'.
This illegal act, endorsed by the silence of the Irish President (as head of State and the Army,) and by the Irish Government, continues each month, as 30,000 US Troops (1,000 per day) continue to pass through Shannon Civilian Airport, to and from Iraq. In the first nine months of 2005, 250,000 US Troops along with weapons and cruise missile components have passed through the 'civilian' Shannon airport in 2003. While Aer Rianta made E.15 million in war money, the Pitstop Ploughshare are charged with E.2.5 million and criminal damage. Not only is the Irish Government facilitating the murder and torture of Iraqi civilians, it is putting Ireland's neutrality and multi-cultural citizens in danger of retaliation.
Who should be up in the Irish Courts today - the pacifist Pitstop 5 who nonviolently tried to prevent war against Iraqi citizens, (mostly women and children died), or the Irish State and Government, who collaborated with an illegal war by allowing the US military machine to use Shannon Airport there by violating the Irish Constitution, International Law, the UN Charter, and the Nuremberg principles.
The American Government has committed numerous war crimes, and acts of state terrorism, and will continue to do so unless it is told the truth by its friends - "No more war, no more nuclear weapons, no more invasions and occupations, and torture, and imperialist adventures to occupy other people's lands and dominate and control them and their resources for the USA's benefit". Ireland is such a friend and it has a moral, ethical and legal responsibility to tell the American Government the truth and to withdraw all support for the USA's illegal, immoral and counter-productive wars and imperialist ambitions. If America's friends have not the courage to tell them the truth about what most of the world's people think about their Government's foreign policy, then who will?
But we must speak the truth in love. We as peace activists are not against the American people, but against the American Government's foreign policies which are the cause of so much suffering and death and destruction in the Middle East and other countries today.
MAIREAD CORRIGAN MAGUIRE, NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE.
Peace People, 224 Lisburn Road, Belfast.BT307NP.N.Ireland.