GALWAY ALLIANCE AGAINST WAR
GALWAY ALLIANCE AGAINST WAR
THIS THURSDAY AT 1PM WILDE STATUES, SHOP ST., GALWAY TO MARK 7TH ANNIVERSARY OF AFGHAN WAR
The Galway Alliance Against War (GAAW) has called on the Irish Government to withdraw Irish officers who are part of NATO’s occupying force in Afghanistan. The local peace group claim the officers are from Mellows Barracks in Renmore, Galway
The call for the Irish troop withdrawal came as GAAW announced it would hold a half-hour peace vigil this Thursday lunchtime, at 1pm, in Shop Street beside the Wilde statues to mark the 7th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. Please try to attend.
It is also 7 years ago this month that GAAW was formed, but the local peace activists don’t view this “birthday” as a happy occasion. Nevertheless, there will be balloons at Thursday’s event, but they will be black.
GAAW came into existence to oppose this war. A war waged by the most powerful country in the world against one of the poorest and underdeveloped. In the past 29 years, Afghanistan has been a victim of the superpowers – first, the senseless Soviet invasion in December 1979 and then the US invasion. The war waged by Washington will fail just like Moscow’s adventure. But it is first and foremost the Afghani people who will suffer most. It is not war the Afghani people need but help – a third of the children suffer malnutrition, life expectancy is only 44 years and the country is one of the most underdeveloped lands in the world.
The US invasion has made things worse, not better. And many countries have been sucked into this conflict, including the Irish armed forces. Soldiers from Mellows barracks in Galway are presently assisting in NATO’s occupation of Afghanistan. GAAW is calling on the Irish government to withdraw these officers. We should not be part of this bloody occupation.
