This week and next, Anti-War Ireland will host a series of events aimed at re-focusing attention on the continuing use of Shannon Airport as an important logistical stop by one of the world’s most dangerous and vicious military machines.

The campaign to demilitarise Shannon airport received a boost in July this year with the unanimous acquittal in Dublin's Four Courts of the five Pitstop Ploughshares activists (Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon, Damien Moran and Ciaron O'Reilly). It was a remarkable outcome to a lengthy legal process that began with their decommissioning of a US warplane in Shannon back in February 2003, and it highlighted the extent of anti-war sentiment in this country.

On Saturday, 28 October, anti-war activists are returning to Shannon with flowers and banners to hold a mock-funeral from the town centre to the airport in memory of the dead of Iraq, Afghanistan and the United States. Among those attending this first major protest at Shannon this year will be two of the acquitted Ploughshares – Deirdre Clancy and Ciaron O'Reilly – and three members of Iraq Veterans Against War – Joshua Casteel, Stephen Lewis and Tony Lagouranis – all former US interrogators at the infamous Abu-Ghraib prison in Baghdad. The US military veterans will also address a series of Anti-War Ireland public meetings around the country.

More info: Former Abu-Ghraib interrogators speak in Dublin | Maynooth meeting on Friday with US Iraq War vets | Shannon demonstration on Saturday | Cork bus to Shannon demo | Dublin bus to Shannon demo | Galway bus to Shannon demo | Cork meeting with Abu-Ghraib vets next Tuesday | Belfast meeting with Abu-Ghraib vets next Wednesday

"Death of a President" was the opening film at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, and caused something of a minor political uproar for its depiction of the assassination of George W Bush in Chicago in 2007. The Republican Party in Texas asked for it not to be screened, while Hilary Clinton (more than likely Bush's successor) called it "despicable", "absolutely outrageous", and called the fictionalised shooting incident as "a horrible scenario". Two large cinema chains in the US stated they would not screen the film - although it has secured a distributor now. It was also shown as the opening picture in the Cork Film Festival; and was screened twice on UK television in the last month, first on digital station More4 and then the terrestrial Channel 4.

I dont think I've ever seen a feature film focus on an assassination of a real life person who is still alive - especially if its a politician. We've seen political shootings in films set in the present day such as Jonathan Demme's "Manchurian Candidate", and Tim Robbins "Bob Roberts"; but in these the Republican Party is never named, and the figures are all fictionalised, if thinly disguised charicatures of real life personas. Likewise feature films set in the not too distant future often contain nightmarish dystopian visions, examples being the recent "Children of Men" or "V for Vendetta"; yet these scenarios are controlled by fascist thugs and authoritarian big brothers, and never mentioned any one existing political party or political leader in Britain.

In an indymedia.ie exclusive 'preview', veteran civil rights activist and journalist Eamonn McCann, publishes here the piece submitted to the Derry Journal for his weekly column this coming Tuesday. The story has huge ramifications for the future of democracy at local government level, as well as the global struggle against the US military industrial complex. This is why McCann, a member of the Socialist Workers Party and one of the "Raytheon 9", has asked for this article to be 'scattered far and wide'.

When did Raytheon give Derry City Council assurances that the company’s Derry plant would not engage in arms-related production?

In statements last week, representatives of the SDLP and Sinn Fein referred to the assurances and complained that Raytheon has reneged on them.

The statements followed a meeting on Monday between representatives of Raytheon and the leaders of the council parties. At this meeting, it seems, Raytheon admitted that the plant at Springtown was engaged in the manufacture of software for military systems. That is, the company apparently confessed to having acted in bad faith.

In the week running up to the Shannon demonstration, Kathleen and Bill Christison, formerly senior analysts with the CIA and highly respected scourges of the present U.S. regime, will visit Ireland for the first time, on their way back from a fortnight in Israel-Palestine. In public talks around the country from October 21st-29th, they will give an informed update on the situation in Palestine, discuss what Kathleen has called “the coming collapse of Zionism", and offer an expert view on U.S. support for Israel, and indeed on the U.S.’s own imperial adventures

"Those who continue to support Israel, who make excuses for it as it descends into corruption, have lost their moral compass." - Kathleen Christison

In the following article from the newswire, a member of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign analyses the insights of these two experts into the situation in Israel-Palestine.

The main article on Shell to Sea this weekend was a repeat of Paul Williams earlier story in the Sunday World last weekend. These stories concerned Provo intimidation. This is likely to be a recurring theme so it is examined in detail in this article. Shell to Sea was also smeared by the Sunday Times (again) and Saturday’s Mail. The Mail gave positive coverage earlier in the week. There were decent pieces in the Irish Times and in Village. This article just looks at the negative coverage.

Sunday World

Paul Williams, employee of Tony O’Reilly (owner of an oil and gas exploration company), starts off with allegations from an unnamed group and unnamed spokesperson of people “directly affected by the Corrib gas pipeline controversy” alleging “widespread intimidation” by Shell to Sea thugs.

It is not known if people “directly affected” include the owner, along with Exxon-Mobil, of oil and gas fields off the coast of Clare, aka Tony O’Reilly. There is no named person citing direct experience of intimidation with names, dates, and places, thus it is utterly meaningless. No charges have been brought although the first story alleging this, was, to my knowledge, in July 2005. The intimidation is linked to Sinn Fein and republicans.

Related Stories of Media Manipulation: Anonymous smear campaign aimed at undermining the right to protest | The Empire Strike Back! - White House & Indo Sic on to the Acquitted Ploughshares | What Is The Sindo and The Rest of O'Reilly's Empire Doing?