Vol. 563 No. 1
258 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether the Government is supporting the war effort in Iraq due to the fact that Shannon Airport, a civilian airport, is being militarised and the people are aware of this fact following the publication of two photographs in a newspaper (details supplied) and is clearly in breach of the wishes of the vast majority of the people. [6972/03]
The Deputy is referring to photographs of the Garda Síochána on security duty at Shannon Airport on 1 March 2003. The deployment of security resources at Shannon Airport is a purely internal matter and is intended to maintain Shannon as a safe, secure and reliable destination for all its users.
As the Deputy will be aware, the increased presence of members of the Garda Síochána at Shannon Airport on 1 March was an exceptional and precautionary measure taken in response to the publicised intentions of a small element participating in the demonstration to attempt to breach the perimeter fence of the airport.
In the event, I am pleased to note that the protest at Shannon Airport passed off in a largely peaceful manner. I fully respect the right of protesters to demonstrate in regard to their concerns and appreciate the responsible attitude taken by the vast majority of participants there.
