Madam, - I think it is entirely appropriate that Fintan Lane has been imprisoned for wilfully trespassing at Shannon airport.
The issue here is not so much his right to self-expression as the effect his behaviour has on the rest of society. By creating the need for a huge Garda presence, the protesters have diverted significant resources to guarding the airport - resources that could be a lot better used elsewhere.
The protesters are also jeopardising the future of the airport and the local economy. By encouraging people to enter the airport, trespass on the active runways and even sabotage aircraft, they have created a real possibility that the US Federal Aviation Authority will add Shannon to its list of airports that US airlines are forbidden to use due to unacceptable levels of security. It is one thing for there to be a chance of a security breach at a foreign airport. It is another thing entirely when there is repeated vandalism and sabotage.
The FAA must be wondering about the odds of the results of the next "protest" not being discovered until the aircraft in question is half-way across the Atlantic on a dark winter's night. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID ROLFE, Leinster Road, Dublin 6.