AGM: Palpable Anger at British Irish Military Pact

This news published by the Celtic League:

AGM: Palpable Anger at British Irish Military Pact

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

It is difficult to understate the hard-earned legacy of the Irish Defence Forces in terms of peacekeeping on behalf of the United Nations and other International bodies for over fifty years.

The Director of Information was reminded of this when he paid a visit to the Irish United Nations Veterans House and Memorial Garden just off the 1916 Memorial area at Arbour Hill in Dublin on the morning April 12th 2015.

Just 24 hours earlier at the working session of the Celtic League Annual General Meeting held at the Conradh na Gaeilge HQ in Dublin delegates had considered the recent agreement on military training concluded by the British and Irish governments in January 2015.

The agreement is predicated on the principle that both sides forces will jointly enhance their peacekeeping skills.

However whereas the Irish Defence Forces have a proven track record in peacekeeping and have shed their blood to defend the innocent their counterparts in the British Army have a track record of brutality and shedding the blood of the innocent.

From the Congo to Lebanon Irish troops have maintained the peace and defended civilians whilst their British counterparts hands are stained with the blood of innocent civilians – not least in Ireland itself.

There is palpable anger in the Celtic League at this Military Pact and this manifested itself in vigorous debate at the AGM which resulted in a composite resolution from the Convenor and DOI which is set out below.

“a) This AGM of the Celtic League opposes the attempts by the Irish and British governments to deepen military ties, under whatever guise. While good relations with the ordinary English population should be cultivated, links with the political, security and military establishments (some of whom have still to answer for their crimes in Ireland in recent decades) should be shunned.

b) Reminds the Irish government that its use of British Army training facilities in the past such as the (now closed) British Staff training college at Camberley, Surrey, resulted in the bizarre situation that the Irish military personnel were trained at a facility which trained and informed the British military’s counter-insurgency policy in the six counties. That policy it is now known to have led to loss of innocent civilian lives on both sides of the six counties border.”

Paradoxically only days before the AGM it has been revealed that British Forces are once again practicing aggressive counter-insurgency tactical training in the North of Ireland.

Related links:

https://www.celticleague.net/news/defence-ministers-responds-to-irish-br...

https://www.celticleague.net/news/celtic-league-irish-branch-slam-britis...

https://www.celticleague.net/news/league-condemn-irish-british-military-...

https://www.celticleague.net/news/the-irish-british-military-training-ag...

J B Moffatt (Mr)

Director of Information
Celtic League

14/04/15

(Please note that replies to correspondence received by the League and posted on CL News are usually scanned hard copies. Obviously every effort is made to ensure the scanning process is accurate but sometimes errors do occur)

ISSUED BY THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE

The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on socio-economic issues

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