Shannon Airport must be demilitarised

Bairbre de Brún at the news conference

Sinn Féin MEP for the Six Counties, Bairbre de Brún, has called for an end to the use of Shannon Airport as a staging area for US forces involved in the occupation of Iraq. She was speaking at a press conference in Dublin on Wednesday morning, called to announce a demonstration at Shannon on 13 November. The press conference was organised by the Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA), the NGO Peace Alliance and the Irish Anti-War Movement.

"The invasion and ongoing occupation of Iraq is unjustified and unacceptable," said de Brún.

"The most recent comprehensive survey of casualties, conducted by John Hopkins University and published in the Lancet, since the US and British invasion of Iraq last March, conservatively estimates a death toll in excess of 100,000.

"As a neutral state, the 26 Counties should not facilitate the use of our airspace or of Shannon Airport by those actively involved in the fighting.

"I am asking people to turn out for a peaceful demonstration at Shannon Airport on Saturday week to defend our position of neutrality and to oppose the use of the airport as a staging post for war.

"Sinn Féin has consistently opposed the war in Iraq and will continue to campaign for troops to be withdrawn and for sovereignty to be returned to the Iraqi people."