Women protest at Shannon landings

A GROUP of women is maintaining a vigil at Shannon Airport in protest at US Air Force landings there.

More than 20 protestors began the anti-war protest at a roundabout close to the airport on Saturday evening and last night they appealed for more women to join them.

“We’ve got a big bonfire blazing and we’re working hard to keep our spirits up. We want more women to come here as soon as they can,” said Mary Kelly.

Women ranging in ages from 13 to 70 weren’t deterred by the freezing temperatures during the protest organised to mark Women’s Christmas.

“Planes landing here are in breach of our neutrality and it makes us complicit in the bombing of Iraq and Afghanistan,” said 50-year-old Ms Kelly.

The group said that protests will continue until the US Air Force stopped using the airport.

Ms Kelly appealed to politicians to take a strong stance against the use of Shannon by the US military.

“We want TDs to stand up and walk out of the Dáil. The people of Ireland are being used as human shields in this war and it must stop,” she said.

Last month hundreds of anti-war campaigners marched on Shannon Airport in a similar protest.

The demonstration, organised by the Grassroots Gathering - a network of peace groups and anti-war activists opposed to America’s proposed war against Iraq - passed off peacefully as up to 300 marched from Shannon town.

Ten people were arrested at a previous protest on October 12 after activists breached the airport’s perimeter fence and trespassed on the runway.