Contact: Danny Muller
773.784.8065
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Chicago, June 23, 2003…) At 10:30 a.m. this Tuesday, June 24th a group from Chicago’s Irish community who are becoming increasingly concerned with the fate of the five members of the Dublin based “Pit Stop Ploughshares” will attempt to meet with Katrina Doyle of the Irish Consulate located at 400 North Michigan Avenue. The group believes very
strongly that the five members of the Pit Stop Ploughshares should be celebrated, not imprisoned, for their efforts to stop flights carrying weapons of mass destruction that use Shannon Airport as a Pit Stop on their way to the Middle East.

In the early hours of Monday, February 3rd five members of the pacifist Catholic Worker Movement cut their way into Shannon Airport, Ireland. The peace activists poured human blood on the runway that has been
servicing U.S. military flights, troops and munitions deployments to U.S. military bases in Kuwait and Qatar. They constructed a shrine on the runway to Iraqi children killed and threatened by U.S./British bombardment and sanctions.

The “Pit Stop Ploughshares” � Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon, Damien Moran & Ciaron O’Reilly have been charged with a $2 million (U.S.) fine and possible terms of 10-years imprisonment for “criminal damage.”

Tom Walsh stated the reason for his visit to the Irish consulate in Chicago as: “We believe these brave and courageous members of our world community are not guilty of the charges imposed upon them by Ireland’s judicial system and the U.S. Military. The only thing they are guilty of is stopping a weapon of mass destruction from its intended purpose of inflicting pain, torture and death on innocent people.” (Tom Walsh, Chicago)

On Tuesday, June 24th from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. many concerned Chicagoans will be distributing information about the trial outside the Irish Consulate at 400 N. Michigan Avenue.

“The people responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians from the American, British or Iraqi governments are not on trial. We are here to question why those taking direct action to stop these deaths are the ones on trial.” (John Farrell, Chicago)

For more information visit: www.ploughsharesireland.org