Peoples’ Forums to be held to defend our neutrality

"Neutrality under attack, have your say!" Is the slogan for a "Peoples’ Forum on Irish Neutrality" which will be held this Saturday June 17th at 3PM in Conradh na Gaeilge on Thomas Street.

The event is being held in response to repeated suggestions by government ministers that changes will be made to Ireland’s position of military neutrality and a move away from holding either a referendum to enshrine Ireland’s neutrality or to hold a Citizens’ Assembly on the topic.

In recent weeks the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has said the government will give “deep consideration” for joining NATO or PESCO led missions surrounding undersea cables.

During a speech in the Dáil the Táinaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mícheál Martin stated “NATO outlined a range of existing and new areas for partners, such as… Ireland, to work with it on.” Including maritime, cyber and climate security and stated that the Irish Government is working on an “updated partnership framework with NATO.”

Shannon Airport has also been used as a stop over for US military planes, most controversially carrying US soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan providing material support to the belligerents in those wars.

Last year People Before Profit introduced a bill into the Dáil to hold a referendum that, if passed, would have clarified and enshrined Ireland’s military neutrality in the constitution. The bill was defeated after Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party voted against it.

Following the invasion of Ukraine the then Taoiseach, Mícheál Martin, suggested that “we could look at a citizens’ assembly to discuss [neutrality] in the fullness of time” but “not now”. A poll at the time indicated that 70% of people supported the holding of a citizen’s assembly. Following his move from Taoiseach to Minister for Foreign Affairs, Martin launched a “Consultative Forum on International Security Policy.” Unlike a citizens assembly where a random selection of 100 citizens discuss, debate and choose which experts are invited, this “Consultative Forum” is designed “to build public understanding and generate discussions on our foreign, security, and defence policies”, with experts chosen by the organisers.

In response to “Consultative Forum” groups supporting the maintenance of Irish neutrality including, the Irish Anti-War Movement, Irish Neutrality League and the Peace and Neutrality Alliance have organised “Peoples’ Forums” with discussions centred around the need to maintain Ireland’s neutrality so we can pursue peace and oppose militarism globally to achieve security from poverty and violence.

Speakers at the “Peoples’ Forum” event in Limerick have stated their support for Ireland’s neutrality in the face of increasing tensions worldwide.

Edward Horgan, International Secretary of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, said “The people of Ireland and all of humanity are faced with several interlinked crises that threaten the survival of humanity. The environmental crisis, global conflicts crisis and risk of nuclear war, crisis of democracy and risk of global economic meltdown. The refugee crisis is being exacerbated by wars and exploitation. How the media reports on these crises is tainted with misinformation. It's a dreadful storm that political leaders here and around the globe are ignoring or taking inappropriate actions. Their focus is primarily on their own survival and on getting re-elected at the next election. Planet Earth needs peace, global justice, protection of our living environment and it needs this now. Irish positive active neutrality is essential towards achieving global peace and justice and towards avoiding the extinction of humanity. There is a strong case to be made for extending the concepts of active neutrality internationally, but right now the opposite is happening with neutrality under attack in Ireland and across Europe especially. We have no alternative planet to move to and destroy like we are destroying this Planet. There is no Planet B. Our Irish Government is actively planning to end Irish positive active neutrality and replace it with membership of defence alliances. The people of Ireland must hold our Government to account for its failures and reckless actions.”

Senator Paul Gavan said, “Sinn Féin believe in neutrality. We want Ireland to be a voice against oppression, poverty and war. To be the international champion for peace and disarmament and multilateralism. We want Ireland to use our history to ensure that this planet has a better future.”

Ruairí Fahy of People Before Profit stated, “the government is using their own failures to build resilience and support investment in infrastructure and digital security as an excuse to develop deeper ties with NATO, the primary driver of which, the USA, has developed digital weapons that have ended up in the hands of non-state actors, making the whole world more unsafe. Security is a process and joining with NATO or other institutions will not provide any additional security, if anything it will make us a greater target for attack.”