Questions for Michael D and the Labour Party

The Galway Alliance Against War has issued an open letter posing serious questions to the Labour Party, its party president, Michael D. Higgins and its leader and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore, in relation to their attitude to Ireland facilitating the US war machine in Ireland.

Below the text of GAAW's letter:

The presentation by Shannonwatch last Friday, 18th March, of evidence to the Gardaí of alleged illegal activity by the US military and the CIA at Shannon airport raises serious questions for the junior partner in the new government and its Party President – and former spokesperson on Foreign Affairs - Michael D. Higgins.

Back on the 15th March 2008 Michael D. had this to say at a Dublin anti-war rally to mark the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war:
"Ireland is complicit in war and torture- also referred to as 'extraordinary rendition'- by allowing the US military use of Shannon Airport and Irish airspace. The Labour Party was the first party to oppose the war, and this is a position which we still hold today.”

Admittedly in January 2009 President Obama announced an end to CIA torture, but not the end of “extraordinary rendition” (i.e. the illegal abduction and detention of people) and certainly not the end of the US wars. According to the peace monitors at Shannon airport, under Obama it was “business as usual” in 2009 and 2010 with “rendition flights” and transporters of armed troops and military hardware (including depleted uranium weaponry) transiting Ireland.

We certainly welcome the sentence in the new Programme for Government 2011-2016 which states: “We will enforce the prohibition on the use of Irish airspace, airports and related facilities for purposes not in line with the dictates of international law.”

Can we therefore presume that CIA “rendition flights” will be banned? And that the government will ensure no “rendition flights” use our airports and airspace?

There is, however, the issue of Ireland facilitating US wars: will this be stopped? Will Shannon airport become a foreign military free zone? Will our troops and Gardaí be brought back from Afghanistan? Or do these anti-war principles fall victim to coalition politics?

On March 15th 2008 Michael D. Higgins had quite rightly only contempt for the then coalition’s “acquiescence to this disgraceful and wholly illegitimate imperial adventure”. Do Michael D and the Labour Party now believe that Ireland should be “complicit in war”?

We would welcome a public statement from the aspiring Labour Party presidential candidate, Michael D Higgins, and from the Labour leader and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore, on these important matters.