Opposition to Bush Visit Growing

By Mairead Carey in Dublin

THERE is growing pressure on the Government to withdraw its invitation to President Bush, who is due to visit Ireland at the end of June.

Last week Bishop Willie Walsh of Killaloe expressed his opposition to the visit. Now the leader of the main political opposition party has questioned the wisdom of holding the US-EU summit in Ireland, given the demonstrations it is likely to provoke. 

The Greens, Labor and Sinn Fein are already opposed to the visit. Members of all three parties are urging people to protest at Dromoland Castle, the most likely venue for the President’s stay. 

Bishop Walsh claimed that President Bush’s trip to Ireland will identify the country with “brutal oppression” in the minds of Muslims.

The outspoken Bishop believes that the visit will send out a signal to Muslim countries that Ireland supported the war in Iraq. “In the Islamic world it identifies us with what they regard as brutal oppression,” he said.

“I’m not anti-American,” he insisted. “I feel a great deal of sympathy with the ordinary American people, who have had no say in this war.”

Meanwhile, the leader of Fine Gael, Enda Kenny, has questioned whether the summit should be held in Brussels instead of Ireland and has expressed fears that it could provoke major demonstrations near Dromoland Castle. 

Protests have already been organized for Dublin and the summit venue. The Peace and Neutrality alliance, the Irish Anti-War Movement and a number of other NGOs are planning to bring protestors from around the country to the venue on the day the President arrives. 

Sinn Fein EU candidate Mary Lou McDonald says people should use the visit to register their protest at Bush’s foreign policies and the occupation of Iraq. 

“Sinn Fein strongly opposes the ongoing occupation of Iraq, along with the failed US and British colonial policies in the Middle East. We have voiced our outrage at the torture of Iraqi people by the US and British occupation forces. Despite the refusal of the British Government to accept what is actually happening in Iraq, the revelations come as no surprise to people in the North. The British torture techniques exposed in Iraq are similar to those exposed in the torture centers of Castlereagh almost 30 years ago,” she said. 

Labor Euro hopeful Ivana Bacik, has also urged people to protest against Bush. 

“The horrific events in Iraq that have emerged in the past number of days reinforce yet again the appalling consequences of the US-led war,” she says. 

“We marched in our tens of thousands in opposition to the war 15 months ago. I would urge Irish people to seize the opportunity to take to the streets again and let their voices be heard against this bloody, senseless war.”

And she urged protestors not to be put off by the security measures being taken by gardai in Shannon. 

“I was deeply disturbed to learn that the Gardai in Shannon are calling to people’s homes requesting personal information. There is no onus on a citizen to divulge this information and it is essential that people are aware of this fact,” she insisted. 

She claimed to have also received reports that some firms in the Shannon area are collating personal details of employees. “It reminds me of events that led to the suspension of three Telecom Eireann employees in advance of the Reagan visit in 1984. People should not be intimidated by over-zealous behaviour such as this. Democratic, peaceful protest is our right and we should exercise it during Bush’s visit,” she said.