Galway peace activists Margaretta D’Arcy and Niall Farrell have been sentenced to three months in gaol, suspended for two years, for a protest on the Shannon Airport runway last year.
Ms D’Arcy and Mr Farrell, who are members of the Galway Alliance Against War, conducted the protest on the runway on October 7 2012 to mark the 11th anniversary of the ‘war on terror’ and as part of an international protest against killer drones. Shannon Airport has become an important US military hub since the war in Afghanistan in 2001.
Ms D’Arcy was in court and attempted to carry out a citizen’s arrest of Judge Patrick Durcan for what she called “crimes against humanity”. The judge returned to his chambers as Ms D’Arcy (79 ) was removed from the bench. Her co-accused refused to attend the court sitting.
In a statement after hearing Mr Farrell said: “This verdict proved once more that we live in a banana republic, where for over a decade the US military has freely waged wars via our country in foreign lands.”
Ms D’Arcy and Mr Farrell face a second similar charge for protesting on the same runway on September 1 2013.
