As Margaretta D’Arcy enters her seventh week in gaol, Department of Justice figures show security costs at Shannon Airport have hit €2 million due to the presence of the US military hub.
Ms D’Arcy was gaoled in January for trespassing at Shannon Airport after refusing to enter into a bond to refrain from protesting at the facility. The 79-year-old, along with fellow Galway Alliance Against War member Niall Farrell, was convicted at Ennis District Court last December following a protest in which they blocked two flights from landing on the airport runway in 2012.
Yesterday, the GAAW held a event on Eyre Square entitled ‘Spell It Out’, where supporters held up individual letters spelling out their demand: “Free Margaretta D’Arcy”.
Commenting on the rise of security costs at Shannon, GAAW spokesperson, Niall Farrell said: “We are pleased the State has had to increase its protection of US military planes with the concomitant extra expense. If that increase has occurred since 2012, it would suggest that the act of sabotage on a US military transport plane in 2011 by supporters of GAAW is directly responsible. Well done, comrades!”
