*Photograph: Joe Buckley
TWO people were arrested at a protest in Shannon which was attended by thousands of people.
Demonstrators flocked to the Clare town over the use of Shannon Airport by the US military. An Garda Síochána arrested two people in relation to public order incidents at Shannon Airport. Gardaí from the Clare and Tipperary Division were assisted by colleagues from the Garda Public Order Unit with officers from Clare, Tipperary, Limerick and Cork.
Gardaí had been expecting a significant attendance for the protest and limited access to one section of the N19 access road to Shannon Airport from early on Saturday morning. Vehicles accessing Shannon Airport were inspected by Gardaí at checkpoints from Drumgeely to the Airport. Passengers were redirected through Ballymurtagh and Shannon Industrial Estate to ensure they made their flights on time.
With the closure of roads in Shannon, there was a lot of frustration expressed by local residents, particularly those in Drumgeely who experienced the brunt of protestors abandoning their vehicles on different roads.
In a statement to The Clare Echo, a spokeswoman for Shannon Airport commented, “We are pleased to confirm that throughout the protest, there were no disruptions to airport operations. An Garda Síochána implemented planned road diversions, which allowed passengers to access the airport without issue, despite traffic operating on one lane. A shuttle bus service was also in operation, transporting some passengers to the terminal building”.
“All flights at the airport operated on schedule, and there were no delays or cancellations as a result of the event,” the spokeswoman added.
Pro-Palestinian Groups including Shannonwatch, Cairde Palestine Belfast and Mothers Against Genocide were among those organising the protest which was attended by political figures such as MEP, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan (IND), Dun Laoghaire TD Richard Boyd Barrett (PBP/SOL) and Cork North-Central TD, Mick Barry (PBP/SOL). By 2pm on Saturday, the estimated crowd was 1,200.
Anti-war protestors have placed a renewed focus on Shannon Airport with the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the United States’ support of Israel plus their military’s use of Shannon. Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, the US has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion (about €16.3 billion) on military aid to Israel.
