British Snooping Likely to Feature in AGM Reports

This news published by the Celtic League:

British Snooping Likely to Feature in AGM Reports

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

In January 2015 it was all smiles as Michael Fallon for the United Kingdom MOD and Simon Coveney for the Irish Government signed what the media termed an ‘historic’ defence agreement at Dublin Castle.

Yet just week’s earlier revelations by the whistleblower Edward Snowden had revealed that the United Kingdoms spy centre at GCHQ in Cheltenham had been tapping telecommunications cables from Ireland for many years. The British spooks were ‘hoovering up’ not just critical intelligence but all private and commercial communications between Ireland and the world.

Snowdens revelations established without doubt that the main UK/Irish (Solas) cable link from Wexford to South Wales and also the ‘Hibernia’ cable which carries traffic between Ireland and the United States (curiously via a loop to Southport on the Lancs. coast) was also penetrated,

It was also asserted in the documentation that Global telecommunications companies that have subsidiaries in Ireland had cooperated with the snooping.

So far no action appears to have been taken against the United Kingdom or against the ‘sneaky’ telecommunications companies that helped facilitate this illegal activity.

Indeed as our opening paragraph says the only response to date has been for the Irish government to ally itself with a State which spies on its citizens.

The issue is almost certain to be raised when the Celtic League meet in Dublin next month – perhaps we will find a mechanism to prompt some reaction by the Irish government to this abuse!

Note: As we highlighted in an earlier CL News article the UK has form in relation to mass surveillance of Irish communications (see link):

https://www.celticleague.net/news/gchq-have-form-when-it-comes-to-snoopi...

J B Moffatt (Mr)

Director of Information
Celtic League

20/03/15

(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)

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