A fundraiser gig in support of the ‘Shannon Three’ is taking place this Friday at Pharmacia.
Ticket sales go towards the Activist Solidarity Fund, which supports those on trial for anti-imperialist action at Shannon Airport in solidarity with Palestine.
The trial of the ‘Shannon Three’ began on Monday at Ennis Circuit Court, where the protestors were charged with trespassing and interfering with the operations of Shannon Airport. The three are alleged to have inspected a US military plane that was carrying illegal Israeli munitions to aid in the Irish-state recognised genocide in Palestine. The trio have been on bail for nearly two years since their arrest. The trial was adjourned this week pending a decision on a case concerning a separate act at Shannon airport.
The group underwent such an action in demand of an end to Shannon Airport's use by the imperialist US military. The Irish state's lack of engagement with such a demand is a repeated behaviour that brings Ireland's neutrality under threat.
The Ditch has done extensive reporting on Shannon Airport's use by the US and Israeli militaries to transport troops and munitions. It was found that six flights carried over 57 tonnes of weaponry through Irish airspace to Israel between October 2023 and February 2024.
The Department of Foreign Affairs stressed that foreign military aircraft travelling through our airspace are required to obtain diplomatic clearance, which is subject to ‘strict conditions’. That the aircraft is unarmed, carries no ammunition or explosives and that the plane is not involved in a military operation. There is proof that many American warplanes have carried weaponry through Ireland. One of which was a Challenger Airlines Israel Boeing 747-412, carrying 313kg of detonators through Irish airspace in March 2024, with no exemption or diplomatic clearance.
The fundraiser will feature performances from folk artist John Francis Flynn, The Community Céilí Band, local rapper Jordan Kelly and DJ Dónal Dineen.
Limerick people, we implore you to come out in force and support this event. Those brave enough to partake in direct action need support from the masses lest the cost and stress of dealing with the Irish legal system overwhelm them.