Dylan
New Member
Saw this in the paper the other day and it's a really good read, see for yourself:
FOR ALL THE TALK OF ‘FREEDOM’ AND ‘RIGHTS’, YOU CAN BE SURE THEY’LL COUNT FOR NOTHING WHEN BUSH ARRIVES.
BY GENE KERRIGAN
THERE'S no need for wild speculation about what might happen when George Bush comes to Ireland. To see how these things are done, need only look back to another visit by another US president with a controversial foreign pol icy.
The president was Ronald Reagan; the visit was in June 1984, exactly 20 years to the
month before Bush's visit. Then, as now, it was an election ( year. Then, as now, the president of the US was throwing his
weight around internationally. Then, as now, the Irish establishment's priority was to demon-
strate its loyalty. Reagan had broken international law, mining Mearagua's harbours to destabilise the left- wing government. He would
shortly do a secret deal to sell missiles to Iran, to kill Iraqis (and secretly supply Saddam with
intelligence to enable him to kill more Iranians). And the profits from the missile sales to Iran
would be used to finance the Contra terrorists in Nicaragua. This was also in breach of US law.
(Noting Reagan's disregard for international law, Irish academics showed their mettle by assembeling in Galway to fete the president and award him a 'Doctorate of Laws'.)
Seven thousand gardai, 70 per cent of the force, were assigned to protect the president during his visit. Sewers were searched, SAM missiles were installed at Shannon, US Secret Service agents were given licences to carry and use guns. Reagan's sleeping quaters were chosen with an eye to snipers. His own secure water was flown in to ensure he wasnt poisoned. He was scheduled to be photographed with a pint of beer in a pub in Ballyporeen, so the Secret Service brought along a special barrel of'Smithwickss, in case terrorists slipped something nasty into the pub's pipes.
US security personnel searched people on the streets, prohibited movement and acted without let, hindrance or lawful authority. While the Garda had responsibil- ity, it was clearly the US agents who ran things. In the words of Fine Gael TD and constitutional expert the late John Kelly, much ofthe Gardai's duties were appropriated, by what authority I am not clear, by a police force or a security force for which no one in this country was responsible'.
They vetted those working on facilities. For instance, three Telecom Eireann workers were barred from working on the communications equipment installed for the visit. This was done on Secret Service 'advice'.
At one point, an armed US agent prevented Pat Kenny from going to the RTE vantage point to do the TV commentary. An official from Foreign Affairs inter- vened, to no avail. Gardai who vouched for Kenny were ignored, Only when a very senior garda insisted that Kenny be let pass did the Secret Service relent.
It was important to the political establishment that images of dissent be stifled. Dublin Corporation employed nine people to go around pulling down posters advertising various protests. Five hundred protesters were kept a mile away from Shannon when Reagan arrived, and similar precautions were taken at Bally- poreen.
A group called Fast for Life had garda permission for a vigil in a 'third world shanty shack', erected out of sight of a route Reagan would take through Dublin. Just before Reagan arrived at Shannon, gardai dismantled the shack.
Despite all this, several dozen women were giving the state a headache. The ultra-pacifist Women for Disarmament set up peace camp in the Phoenix Park.
They were supported by a group of nuns, Sisters for Justice. They aimed to do no more than sit, a few dozen of them, within sight of Deerfield, the US ambassadors residence.
Their press conference was launched by Mary Robinson (who six years later would become a Phoenix Park resident). They got legal advice, examined the Phoenix Park by-laws and consulted the Office of Public Works to ensure they did everything legaly and peacefully. The OPW confirmed this.
Unfortunately, the women were clearly no threat to the president.
So they couldn't be removed. It seemed the TV cameras would catch an unmistakable sign of dissent.
Special Branch officers parked car feet away from the sitting
women, to intimidate them. The state checked the Phoenix Park by-laws. These forbid such things as walking on flowerbeds, climbing trees, doing gymnastics, taking birds' eggs or training whipPpets. There was nothing to stop the women sitting peacefully.
Exactly one hour and 28 minutes before President Reagan's plane touched down at Shannon a special regulation was signed under the Phoenix Park Act 1925 It said that for a period of 98 hours and eight minutes, ending precisely when Reagan left Ireland, it would be illegal to do an thing in the Phoenix Park that "in the opinion of members of the Garda Siochana, may cause Public anxiety".
You didn't have to actually do anything to break this law. Even just sitting peacefully could arouse in a garda an ,opinion that you "may', cause public anxiety.
At one in the morning, gardal came for the three dozen or so women and ejected them from the park, citing a'regulation' or 'edict'. The women simply went back into the park. At 3am, ,gardal came in vans, took the women, drove them well away from the park and dumped thern in various Parts of Dublin.
Four lawyers working for the women made strenuous efforts to find out what law they were breaking. No one would tell them. It would be eight months before they were shown the 'edict'.
The women came back next day, and spent all day and all night in the park. At dawn the gardai
came again, spilling out of vans.
The women held hands, sat down and sang. They were arrested, carried to the vans and brought to the Bridewell.
Three women who had gone home, for dry clothes arrived back and began to gather the belongings of the arrested women. Gardai arrived, told them it was illegal for "people like you" to be here. They were arrested. Refusing to cooperate, they sat down. The gardai carried them off by the arms and legs. One of the women had no arms. They dragged her away by her legs.
The penalty for breaking a Phoenix Park by-law was £5. Normally, station bail would apply. No bail was allowed. Thirty-three women were held in crowded, damp, smelly cells, some with blocked toilets, for over 30 hours. They weren't brought before a court and bailed until President Reagan left the country.
Individual gardai acted humanely. Some seemed embarrassed. They had orders. A couple of the women had been briefly locked up after a protest at the Soviet embassy, but most had no experience of this kind of thing. One woman collapsed. She was taken to hospital, given an injection of valium and taken back to the cell.
To conservative TD John Kelly, these women were "a pain in the neck", but he was disturbed by the use of a law with a £5 pe'nalty "to keep these women on ice" until Reagan left.
The charges were dropped - ensuring the state wouldn't have to explain itself in court. Kelly raised the matter in the Dall - the government wouldn't answer They said the case was "sub judice", even though it wasn't. The state settled a claim by 28 of' flie women, to keep the matter out of civil court.
President Reagan addressed the Dail and spoke of "your nation's historic regard for personal freedom".
Our own President Hillery gave Reagan lunch and spoke of our "profound respect for the rights of the individual".
'Freedom'and'rights'are just some of the words we can expect to hear a lot about next June.
FOR ALL THE TALK OF ‘FREEDOM’ AND ‘RIGHTS’, YOU CAN BE SURE THEY’LL COUNT FOR NOTHING WHEN BUSH ARRIVES.
BY GENE KERRIGAN
THERE'S no need for wild speculation about what might happen when George Bush comes to Ireland. To see how these things are done, need only look back to another visit by another US president with a controversial foreign pol icy.
The president was Ronald Reagan; the visit was in June 1984, exactly 20 years to the
month before Bush's visit. Then, as now, it was an election ( year. Then, as now, the president of the US was throwing his
weight around internationally. Then, as now, the Irish establishment's priority was to demon-
strate its loyalty. Reagan had broken international law, mining Mearagua's harbours to destabilise the left- wing government. He would
shortly do a secret deal to sell missiles to Iran, to kill Iraqis (and secretly supply Saddam with
intelligence to enable him to kill more Iranians). And the profits from the missile sales to Iran
would be used to finance the Contra terrorists in Nicaragua. This was also in breach of US law.
(Noting Reagan's disregard for international law, Irish academics showed their mettle by assembeling in Galway to fete the president and award him a 'Doctorate of Laws'.)
Seven thousand gardai, 70 per cent of the force, were assigned to protect the president during his visit. Sewers were searched, SAM missiles were installed at Shannon, US Secret Service agents were given licences to carry and use guns. Reagan's sleeping quaters were chosen with an eye to snipers. His own secure water was flown in to ensure he wasnt poisoned. He was scheduled to be photographed with a pint of beer in a pub in Ballyporeen, so the Secret Service brought along a special barrel of'Smithwickss, in case terrorists slipped something nasty into the pub's pipes.
US security personnel searched people on the streets, prohibited movement and acted without let, hindrance or lawful authority. While the Garda had responsibil- ity, it was clearly the US agents who ran things. In the words of Fine Gael TD and constitutional expert the late John Kelly, much ofthe Gardai's duties were appropriated, by what authority I am not clear, by a police force or a security force for which no one in this country was responsible'.
They vetted those working on facilities. For instance, three Telecom Eireann workers were barred from working on the communications equipment installed for the visit. This was done on Secret Service 'advice'.
At one point, an armed US agent prevented Pat Kenny from going to the RTE vantage point to do the TV commentary. An official from Foreign Affairs inter- vened, to no avail. Gardai who vouched for Kenny were ignored, Only when a very senior garda insisted that Kenny be let pass did the Secret Service relent.
It was important to the political establishment that images of dissent be stifled. Dublin Corporation employed nine people to go around pulling down posters advertising various protests. Five hundred protesters were kept a mile away from Shannon when Reagan arrived, and similar precautions were taken at Bally- poreen.
A group called Fast for Life had garda permission for a vigil in a 'third world shanty shack', erected out of sight of a route Reagan would take through Dublin. Just before Reagan arrived at Shannon, gardai dismantled the shack.
Despite all this, several dozen women were giving the state a headache. The ultra-pacifist Women for Disarmament set up peace camp in the Phoenix Park.
They were supported by a group of nuns, Sisters for Justice. They aimed to do no more than sit, a few dozen of them, within sight of Deerfield, the US ambassadors residence.
Their press conference was launched by Mary Robinson (who six years later would become a Phoenix Park resident). They got legal advice, examined the Phoenix Park by-laws and consulted the Office of Public Works to ensure they did everything legaly and peacefully. The OPW confirmed this.
Unfortunately, the women were clearly no threat to the president.
So they couldn't be removed. It seemed the TV cameras would catch an unmistakable sign of dissent.
Special Branch officers parked car feet away from the sitting
women, to intimidate them. The state checked the Phoenix Park by-laws. These forbid such things as walking on flowerbeds, climbing trees, doing gymnastics, taking birds' eggs or training whipPpets. There was nothing to stop the women sitting peacefully.
Exactly one hour and 28 minutes before President Reagan's plane touched down at Shannon a special regulation was signed under the Phoenix Park Act 1925 It said that for a period of 98 hours and eight minutes, ending precisely when Reagan left Ireland, it would be illegal to do an thing in the Phoenix Park that "in the opinion of members of the Garda Siochana, may cause Public anxiety".
You didn't have to actually do anything to break this law. Even just sitting peacefully could arouse in a garda an ,opinion that you "may', cause public anxiety.
At one in the morning, gardal came for the three dozen or so women and ejected them from the park, citing a'regulation' or 'edict'. The women simply went back into the park. At 3am, ,gardal came in vans, took the women, drove them well away from the park and dumped thern in various Parts of Dublin.
Four lawyers working for the women made strenuous efforts to find out what law they were breaking. No one would tell them. It would be eight months before they were shown the 'edict'.
The women came back next day, and spent all day and all night in the park. At dawn the gardai
came again, spilling out of vans.
The women held hands, sat down and sang. They were arrested, carried to the vans and brought to the Bridewell.
Three women who had gone home, for dry clothes arrived back and began to gather the belongings of the arrested women. Gardai arrived, told them it was illegal for "people like you" to be here. They were arrested. Refusing to cooperate, they sat down. The gardai carried them off by the arms and legs. One of the women had no arms. They dragged her away by her legs.
The penalty for breaking a Phoenix Park by-law was £5. Normally, station bail would apply. No bail was allowed. Thirty-three women were held in crowded, damp, smelly cells, some with blocked toilets, for over 30 hours. They weren't brought before a court and bailed until President Reagan left the country.
Individual gardai acted humanely. Some seemed embarrassed. They had orders. A couple of the women had been briefly locked up after a protest at the Soviet embassy, but most had no experience of this kind of thing. One woman collapsed. She was taken to hospital, given an injection of valium and taken back to the cell.
To conservative TD John Kelly, these women were "a pain in the neck", but he was disturbed by the use of a law with a £5 pe'nalty "to keep these women on ice" until Reagan left.
The charges were dropped - ensuring the state wouldn't have to explain itself in court. Kelly raised the matter in the Dall - the government wouldn't answer They said the case was "sub judice", even though it wasn't. The state settled a claim by 28 of' flie women, to keep the matter out of civil court.
President Reagan addressed the Dail and spoke of "your nation's historic regard for personal freedom".
Our own President Hillery gave Reagan lunch and spoke of our "profound respect for the rights of the individual".
'Freedom'and'rights'are just some of the words we can expect to hear a lot about next June.
