DCW Irish Election Campaign - Beyond the pale, Beyond belief, Beyond a joke, BEYOND THE VOTE!

by Press Release Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:09

An activist who smashed holes in a US Navy airplane has returned to Ireland to attack a political situation that he says is “beyond the Pale, beyond belief, beyond a joke”.
Ciaron O’Reilly, the dreadlocked Irish-Australian activist who was acquitted along with four others for disabling the US plane at Shannon Airport, is touring the country to urge people to think “beyond the vote”.O’Reilly is calling for Irish citizenship to be granted to Bradley Manning, the US army soldier who is being held in solitary confinement in the US for his alleged role in leaking classified documents to Wikileaks.
“The last time Bradley Manning was not in a war zone or in chains, he was in Shannon Airport en route to Iraq,” O’Reilly said. “Ireland should be offering sanctuary and safe-haven to people who blow the whistle on war-crimes.”
O’Reilly has been living in England, where he was involved in the establishment of the Giuseppe Conlon Catholic Worker house in north London. He has been ever-present at the court appearances of his fellow Australian, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
The pacifist O’Reilly is travelling around Ireland in his election “Battle Bus”, a van powered by vegetable oil, festooned with signs including “Don’t vote, it only encourages them” and “If voting could change anything they’d make it illegal”. He will be speaking along the way, with particular emphasis on the Assange-Manning situation.
He says he is not necessarily urging abstention or spoiled ballots in the upcoming general election, as that is a matter for each person.
“Thirty-seven per cent of people didn’t vote last time,” O’Reilly said. “If you make a choice not to vote this time, I want you to make that choice in a spirit of hope and rebellion, not in a spirit of cynicism and resignation.”
O’Reilly will be speaking outdoors in Dublin’s Temple Bar Square this Sunday afternoon.
He is also holding a “Victory Celebration” in the Clifton Court Hotel on Eden Quay on Sunday from 5pm. Musicians including Eoin Dillon from Kila and Paul O’Toole will perform, and journalist Harry Browne (author of a book about the Shannon case) will speak.
Further speaking dates will be announced in the coming days.
O’Reilly will hold a vigil against the continuing US military use of Shannon Airport outside Dublin’s GPO next Wednesday, February 23rd, from 4pm to 6pm.

For further information contact Ciaron O’Reilly, 087 918 4552.

by more info Wed Feb 16, 2011 21:53

Ready for Victory Celebration!
The Met Bar, Clifton Court, Eden Quay

Musicians: Eoin Dilon (of Kila)
http://au.search.yahoo.com/search?webSrchInput=youtube+...illon

Paul O'Toole
http://au.search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oG73CYPlpNfT4B...rd=r1

Joe Black

Film: Excerpts from John Pilger's documentary "The War You Don't See"
http://www.johnpilger.com/
...footage Manning is accused of leaking, interview with Assange, narration of footage by U.S. marine who tried to save a wounded Iraqi child.

Speakers: Harry Browne "WTF is going on?"

Ciaron O'Reilly: eyewitness report from the London trial of Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and why anti-war prisoner Bradley Manning must be granted Irish citizenship www.bradleymanning.org