At the national gathering in Shanon on August 9th, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Shannonwatch presented a letter for the Garda Commissioner to the Superintendent in charge. The demands were to investigate airlines illegally transporting munitions of war through Irish territory to Israel, and to inspect all US military and military contracted aircraft that land at Shannon. 

Any support for the US military is support for the genocide in Gaza. So it's time this support was ended. But in the meantime the planes cannot pass through uninspected.

Here is the full text of the letter.

To: Garda Commissioner Mr Drew Harris, An Garda Síochána Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin, D08 HN3X                 

Date: 9^th August 2025

Subject: Prevention of Complicity in War Crimes and Genocide

Dear Commissioner Harris,

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued a number of rulings, advisory opinions and requests for arrest warrants in connection with war crimes, plausible genocide and illegal occupations, committed by Israel against the Palestinian people. This creates obligations on all member states of the United Nations, and on their officials and citizens to fully cooperate with the ICJ and the ICC, and to avoid complicity with these crimes.

Bunreacht na hÉireann and international laws on neutrality also impose obligations on the Irish Government to avoid participation in wars of aggression, and not to allow foreign military forces that are involved in such wars to transit through Irish airports or territory or Irish airspace.

The United States has been by far the primary supporter of the Israeli government and its military forces in recent decades and especially since October 2023.  Since 7th October 2023, thousands of aircraft on contract to or operated by the US military have passed through Shannon Airport and Irish airspace. Most of these aircraft have been going to and from the Middle East, and some have landed in Israel. This makes the Irish Government, its ministers, and its officials potentially complicit in the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Shannonwatch, The Ditch and others have brought specific flights to the attention of An Garda Siochana and the Government, but no effective actions have been taken to end such complicity.

No US military aircraft should be allowed to transit through Irish territory or airspace given their support for the genocide in Gaza. But until such time as these flights are stopped by the government, we call on An Garda Siochána to:

1. investigate airlines illegally transporting munitions of war through Irish territory to Israel;
2. inspect all US military and military contracted aircraft that land at Shannon, as these are potentially carrying weapons or otherwise in breach of Irish air navigation law.

By not doing so, An Garda Siochána are failing to carry out their duties of crime prevention, and their duties to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in serious crimes being committed at and/or facilitated.

We await your response.

Yours

John Lannon, Shannonwatch, Raheen, Ballyneety, Co. Limerick.

Zoë Lawlor, Chairperson, Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Ashbourne Avenue, Limerick.

This letter is signed on behalf of all those participating in the peaceful protest at Shannon Airport on 9^th August 2025, and in support and solidarity with the people of Palestine who are being murdered on a daily basis by weapons supplied by the United States of America.