Shannon protest TDs told to leave airport building

A cross-party Oireachtas delegation was yesterday forced to cut short its protest against the use of Shannon by the US military after airport police intervened to eject the group from the airport's terminal building.

The TDs, including Labour's Joe Costello, Joe Higgins (Socialist Party), Tony Gregory (Ind), John Gormley (Greens), Finian McGrath (Ind) and Tommy Broughan (Lab) flew from Dublin yesterday to protest also at alleged "rendition" flights going through Shannon.

However, after a short time in the arrivals hall, where they posed for photographers behind a banner with the words "US army out of Shannon", the group was asked to leave by a senior airport police officer. Mr Gormley said: "We find it strange that we have been asked to leave and president George Bush was welcomed here with open arms only a week ago."

Also joined by Jan O'Sullivan (Lab), Aengus Ó Snodaigh (SF) and Senator David Norris (Ind), Deputy Gormley went on: "We have been given five minutes to leave to building and the airport police officer didn't say what would happen if we failed to comply with his request."

Figures released yesterday by the Shannon Airport Authority show that the record number of US troops who passed through Shannon last year will likely be even higher this year.

In January and February, 75,315 troops used the airport, with 41,413 going through in January. In the corresponding two-month period last year, 68,448 troops passed through. The year's total was 330,000.

Mr Higgins said: "We have been barely tolerated here today and this contrasts with the commander-in-chief of the US forces allowed to have a rally with his troops here on Irish soil a couple of weeks ago, which I think was an outrage."

Senator Norris said he didn't expect the Irish Government to change its stance on the Shannon issue. "They are too gutless, but we want to get people to put on pressure and that may bring about a change. It is very important that this issue remains on the agenda."

Mr Gormley said the use of Shannon by the US military "flies in the face of what the majority of Irish people believe".

He said: "It is quite shocking and I hope that in the run-up to St Patrick's Day that the people can send a message to Irish and US governments that we are not people that would collude in this war in Iraq."

Airport police declined to comment on their request that the Oireachtas members vacate the building. The Oireachtas group remained outside for 15 minutes before leaving for Limerick to get a train back to Dublin.