08 November 2006
Warships ‘not welcome’, say campaigners
By Eoin English
ANTI-WAR campaigners protested in Cork Harbour last night over visits by American warships.
They also suggested that Cobh’s business community is “misguided” by thinking such visits are good for the town.
About a dozen members of the Irish Anti-War movement held a candle-light vigil on the town’s quay as the USS Mitscher, a guided missile destroyer which has been berthed in the town since last week, made preparations to sail after a six-day courtesy visit.
The 154-metre long vessel and its crew of 311 has seen service in the US-led invasion of Iraq and is armed with several Tomahawk cruise missiles.
It is the third American naval vessel to visit the harbour town in six months — the USS Sullivan visited in July followed by the training ship, the State of Maine.
Protest organiser, John Jeffries, said such vessels were not welcome in Cork.
The visits, and the continuing use of Shannon Airport by American troops, are a symptom of the Government’s abandonment of our neutrality, he said.
“The USS Mitscher is a warship from a belligerent imperial power and is not welcome in Cork harbour or anywhere in this country,” he said.
“There are some people in the town who think this is a great thing.
“Business people have a misguided idea that it’s good for the town. But at what cost?”
Mr Jeffries said people should remember the appalling casualty rate in Iraq, recently estimated by the medical journal The Lancet at over 650,000 people.
“We are not anti-American. We welcome American visitors to Cobh but they should leave their weapons of mass destruction behind,” he said.
A spokesman for the Port of Cork said port authorities are requested by the Department of Foreign Affairs to extend all normal courtesies to visiting naval vessels.
Almost 20 naval vessels from Holland, Germany, Pakistan, Britain, New Zealand and Australia, called to the port during the Cork 2005 celebrations last year.
Warships ‘not welcome’, say campaigners
By Eoin English
ANTI-WAR campaigners protested in Cork Harbour last night over visits by American warships.
They also suggested that Cobh’s business community is “misguided” by thinking such visits are good for the town.
About a dozen members of the Irish Anti-War movement held a candle-light vigil on the town’s quay as the USS Mitscher, a guided missile destroyer which has been berthed in the town since last week, made preparations to sail after a six-day courtesy visit.
The 154-metre long vessel and its crew of 311 has seen service in the US-led invasion of Iraq and is armed with several Tomahawk cruise missiles.
It is the third American naval vessel to visit the harbour town in six months — the USS Sullivan visited in July followed by the training ship, the State of Maine.
Protest organiser, John Jeffries, said such vessels were not welcome in Cork.
The visits, and the continuing use of Shannon Airport by American troops, are a symptom of the Government’s abandonment of our neutrality, he said.
“The USS Mitscher is a warship from a belligerent imperial power and is not welcome in Cork harbour or anywhere in this country,” he said.
“There are some people in the town who think this is a great thing.
“Business people have a misguided idea that it’s good for the town. But at what cost?”
Mr Jeffries said people should remember the appalling casualty rate in Iraq, recently estimated by the medical journal The Lancet at over 650,000 people.
“We are not anti-American. We welcome American visitors to Cobh but they should leave their weapons of mass destruction behind,” he said.
A spokesman for the Port of Cork said port authorities are requested by the Department of Foreign Affairs to extend all normal courtesies to visiting naval vessels.
Almost 20 naval vessels from Holland, Germany, Pakistan, Britain, New Zealand and Australia, called to the port during the Cork 2005 celebrations last year.
The Kiwis were here? Bet thats news to them.....
Indymedia takes over de paper. The photos in todays examiner refer to the ship as "USS Mitscher dog 57".
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