Shannonwatch calls on the Irish government to categorically condemn the illegal invasion of Venezuela, and the kidnapping of the country’s President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, by the US administration. Given this flagrant disregard for international laws and norms, we also call for an immediate suspension of the use of Shannon Airport as a transit hub for US troops and their weapons.  

“The direct attack on Venezuela marks a dangerous escalation in the use of military power by the US” said a Shannonwatch spokesperson. “It ignores sovereign territorial rights and comes less than a week after Donald Trump threatened military strikes against another country, Iran. It also follows the brutal murder of over 100 people on boats off the Venezuelan coast.”

“In addition, the US has illegally imposed sanctions on Venezuela, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. These have now been compounded by acts of war including the declaration of a no-fly zone and a naval blockade.”

“Ireland cannot continue to pay lip service to the pursuit of peace and justice while providing ongoing material support to the US military. The weak responses to the US invasion from the Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee and the EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas are not enough. Failure to condemn this unprovoked US military aggression is effectively giving a green light to Trump to invade and occupy any country he chooses.”

“Trump’s unproven claims about Venezuelan drug trafficking are not a justification to murder people, invade the country, and kidnap the president. Neither is the manner in which the country was being run, or a desire to get control of the country’s vast oil reserves.”

“Irish and EU leaders should call for the immediate release of President Maduro and his wife, and their safe return to Venezuela”.

“Over the last 25 years Shannon Airport has been used to facilitate illegal invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and to support US military operations in most countries in the Middle East. Our records also show military and diplomatic flights through Shannon to Israel, making the Irish state complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This abuse of our so-called civilian airport is contrary to the will of the majority of Irish people.  

The US has shown that it will not abide by international norms, has no respect for human rights or human life, and is one of the biggest threats to global peace and security at present. A clear message must now be sent by the Irish government that its military aggression and war crimes are unacceptable. And the way to do this is by ending the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.