VETERANS FOR PEACE
Organized locally. Recognized internationally.
SUMMER 2016
Meet VFP’s International Chapters:
Ireland, Okinawa, U.K, Mexico
Ireland - Ed Horgan
What issues are important
to your work in Ireland?
How did you find out
about VFP? What attracted you to us?
We found out about
VFP from Ben Griffin of
Ireland north and south is
VFP UK, and his supa small country with a total
port, combined with very
population of less than six
good support from sevmillion (1.5m in Northern
eral members of VFP in
Ireland which is part of the
the USA, has been very
UK, and 4.5m in the Revaluable in the founding
public of Ireland). Peace
of VFP Ireland Chapter.
within Ireland and peace
The key element in us.
internationally are imseeking to be associatportant issues to all Irish
VFP-Ireland defending Irish neutrality.
ed with VFP USA was
people. While most of the
members of Veterans For Peace
2016 is also the centenary of the the need to achieve international
cooperation towards achieving interIreland live in the Republic of Ire1916 revolution that led to Irish innational peace.
land we also have some members
dependence and sovereignty, so
who live in Northern Ireland, and
this is a sensitive year in Ireland.
What are your main actions and
these members also have joint
While many justify and celebrate
strategies?
membership of Veterans For Peace
the violence that led to our soverSo far we are still a small group of
UK. Irish neutrality is probably the
eign independence, they probably
most important issue for VFP Iredo not fully recognize that perhaps just over a dozen members, but we
are also closely aligned with other
land, because as a small state, we
a better future could have been
peace promoting NGOs including
cannot ever be a military power, but achieved peacefully, and also that
the Irish Peace and Neutrality Alliwe can achieve and have achieved
we have once again surrendered
quite a lot as a positive neutral state an important part of Irish sovereign- ance (pana.ie) and Shannonwatch
promoting international peace and
ty to U.S. and NATO militaristic neo (shannonwatch.org). Many of our
sustainable justice and develop-imperialism.
(Continued on page 6)
ment. Since 2001, successive Irish
Governments have been allowing
IN THIS ISSUE:
U.S. military and CIA aircraft to
transit through Shannon airport in
Current Projects……….....4 - 5 Mexico……………..…..……...8
the West of Ireland on their way to
and from unjustified wars in the MidOkinawa…………………....…..6 Orlando Shootings…......…...9
dle East, and in clear breach of international laws on neutrality.
United Kingdom……………...7 Annual Report…….…....…..10
VFP Newsletter Spring 2016 1