Protestors mount anti-Bush march

A protest march against the arrival of US President George Bush at Shannon airport passed off peacefully tonight.

A crowd of more than 1,200 people marched from Shannon town centre to a site 100 yards from the entrance to the airport.

Hundreds of gardaí formed a line in front of the marchers to stop them proceeding any further.

The Garda riot squad were kept in reserve behind the police line but there were no incidents. The march was due to begin at 7pm but was delayed for 40 minutes due to the late arrival of a bus of protesters from Dublin.

The protesters gathered in front of the lines of gardaí to listen to speakers who condemned the policies of US president George Bush, particularly the invasion of Iraq.

Margaret Roymane from the Global Women’s Strike said that the marchers had received letters of support from all over the world. “This is the biggest global anti-war movement ever,” she said.

The number of marchers were far less than the 100,000 who took part in the protest march in Dublin last year before the invasion of Iraq.

Protester Donal Finn from Barna in Galway, who arrived beating a drum, said: “I thought there would be more people here.”

But the Socialist party councillor Mick Barry said: “Scare-mongering about potential trouble at the march had deterred many people.

“Overall I think the attendance is respectable, especially since there are protests taking place in other cities,” he said.

Protesters travelled the mile long route to the outskirts of Shannon airport chanting slogans such as “No Bush, No War” and “No More Bush”.

Others held posters which said: “You can bomb the world to pieces but you can’t bomb it to peace” and “End the criminal occupation of Iraq”.

The protest march was halted temporarily after 15 minutes by the organisers, who were dissatisfied with the close proximity of so many gardaí.

It resumed when a gap was established between the protesters and the Garda mounted escort.

There were no scenes of disorder – the protesters were armed only with whistles, horns and ghetto-blasters. Young marchers included members of the Irish Anti-War Movement, the Dublin Grass Roots Movement, the Socialist Party and the Labour Party.

Labour Party TD Jan O’Sullivan said she was delighted that the protest was peaceful.

“I think it would have been counterproductive if it was anything other than peaceful. That would play into the hands of those who oppose the right to protest.”

But locals said that the massive garda presence was excessive given the small number of protesters.

“This is a lively and colourful protest but the Garda presence is way over the top. It’s security gone mad,” said Dominic Haugh from Shannon.

Meanwhile, in Dublin up to 20,000 people marched peacefully through the city centre in protest at the visit.

Minor demonstrations were also held in several other cities including Galway and Waterford.