Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

A freedom of information document obtained by Shannonwatch relating to permits for landings and flyovers in 2014 revealed that a total of 272 flights were given permits to take weapons or explosives through Shannon Airport. Machine guns, troops, missiles, rockets, mortars, explosives and other war material were routinely given permission to fly through Irish airspace. On six flights alone, 190 tonnes of bullets passed through our borders on the way to Afghanistan from the US. How many refugees did we help to create? The unaccompanied minors in Calais did not choose to be refugees. They would rather be living in their communities in their own countries.

On 15 and 16 November 2014, cluster bombs - a brutal instrument of war that Ireland helped to get banned years ago - were given permission to go to our trade partners, Saudi Arabia. The Saudis, supported by the US, have been committing war crimes in Yemen for 19 months, directly targeting civilians using cluster bombs sold to them by the US, some of which passed through Shannon. They have been bombing markets, hospitals, public gatherings and housing. More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Yemen and 2.8 million Yemenis have had to flee their homes due to war. There are 7.6 million Yemenis suffering from malnutrition and 3 million of these are women and children. The Government's friend, President Obama, has completed $110 billion of arms deals with the Saudis.

We have been raising the Calais issue since April and Deputy Daly and I have raised it more than ten times each in here. We have been given many different reasons for the Irish Government not helping. We were told the refugees in Calais did not want to come to Ireland and they only wanted to go to the UK. We were told it was not an official camp so we cannot do anything. We were told any unilateral initiative from Ireland would be wholly inappropriate and it is outside our European Union remit. I will not even mention some of the worst responses we got. You know what is inappropriate? It is inappropriate that our Government does not give a damn. That is inappropriate. Society only functions when we give a damn about the other people who live on the planet. They are only across the water. They might have wanted to go to the UK but it will not take all of them. There will be many left. We should not stop at 200. We should take 500. We are not ready for them yet because Tusla has not been funded but let us start getting it right. Let us speak to the French and say we will take approximately 500 of them. We should do what is appropriate.

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