Austria show us the way with show of neutrality

On July 19, 2015, nine American marines were arrested in Vienna’s airport for carrying assault rifles and handguns on board a commercial airliner without proper clearance.

They were on their way to Ukraine to take part in Exercise Saber Guardian that began July 20. The US soldiers involved were refused permission to travel on to Ukraine by the Austrian authorities and were put on a flight back to the USA.

Like Ireland, Austria is a neutral country, except that unlike Ireland, Austria takes its neutrality seriously and complies with international laws and obligations on neutrality.

Up to two and half million US troops have transited through Shannon airport since 2001, and most of them were carrying weapons with them, all in clear breach of Ireland’s international neutrality obligations. The only occasion when any of these US troops have been arrested in Ireland was on 22 June 2006 when a peace activist carried out a citizen’s arrest on six uniformed US soldiers in Ennis, Co Clare, and handed them over to gardaí, who released them.

Irish neutrality, supported by the vast majority of the Irish people, needs to applied and enforced at Shannon airport.

Edward Horgan

Castletroy

Limerick