Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is deeply ironic that Ministers are expressing concern about events in Ukraine, the Government of which is trying to pass a law to make it a serious offence to engage in peaceful sit down protests at public buildings. This has caused a near revolt. Everybody acknowledges that the actions of the Ukrainian Government, following on from the actions of President Putin's Government in Russia, are actions of a repressive and undemocratic regime and that we must uphold the right to peaceful protest. In this country, however, a 79 year old writer - like the Minister - and activist of conscience who engaged in an act of civil disobedience is languishing in prison even though she is ill with Parkinson's disease. Is that not appalling? Whatever one may think of her views, Margaretta D'Arcy is acting on her conscience on an issue with which a huge number - probably the majority - of people in this country are in agreement, namely, that the airports of a neutral country should not be used to facilitate the CIA programme of illegal torture and kidnap or the transport of military equipment and troops used in the bloody wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She has a right to protest against that and she should not be imprisoned for doing so. I appeal to the Minister to intervene on humanitarian grounds to direct that Margaretta D'Arcy be released. True to herself, Margaretta has asked us not to worry so much about her but to raise the issue. For the umpteenth time, I ask the Minister to investigate the use of Shannon Airport in the illegal kidnap and torture programme and for the purpose of conducting war.

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