Govt planned to cage Bush protestors, Dáil told

The Government erected Guantanamo Bay-style cages to hold any anti-war protesters arrested during US President George Bush’s visit to Ireland, it was alleged in the Dáil today.

Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins claimed Justice Minister Michael McDowell had erected his own ‘Shannanamo’ detention camp outside the EU-US summit at Dromoland Castle at the weekend.

Mr Higgins asked Tánaiste Mary Harney whether the welcome extended to Mr Bush by the Government meant it endorsed the American treatment of prisoners.

“Your Minister for Justice, your colleague, erected Guantanamo-style detention cages for protesters in Shannon Industrial Estate, which he tried to hide since the Commissioner of the Garda refused myself permission to inspect them on Saturday,” he said.

“Minister McDowell’s very own ‘Shannanamo’ you could say, was a shameful episode in the security arrangements.

“Wasn’t the real role of the Irish Presidency at this summit to whitewash the criminal invasion and occupation of Iraq and in giving credence to the sham handover, so-called, haven’t you flown in the face of the instincts of the Irish people?

“Do you think the Irish people believe that sovereignty means sticking a bunch of handpicked bureaucrats and CIA stooges in a palace, heavily police their ministries with colonial administrators under a foreign army of occupation, and call that a sovereign government?”

Mr Higgins accused the Tánaiste of shaming the Irish people by agreeing with US policy.

But Ms Harney, who was standing in for Taoiseach Bertie Ahern while he was away on EU business, said she did not accept Mr Higgins’ claims.

She said the Government held different views to the US on certain issues but the country should always welcome the democratically elected head of another friendly country.

“The Irish government, on behalf of the European Union, welcomed to Ireland the President of the United States of America, the head of a country that has been extraordinarily friendly to this country, with whom we have very close political, cultural and economic ties,” she said.

“There was a very frank discussion in relation to prisoner issues, I understand that the Irish president at her meeting also had raised issues of concern to the Irish in relation to this matter, as did the Taoiseach at the bilateral meeting.

“It is the intention to have direct, fair and free elections in Iraq in January of 2005, the transition process is now under a UN mandate and we very much welcome that.

“Europe, and Ireland as a member of the EU, will play its part in helping to ensure that the people of Iraq, who have suffered far too much, are in a position to have life returned to normal as quickly as possible.

“And in particular, that they can have their own directly elected government in a fair and free election,” she added.