May 4, 2022—Judge Patricia Ryan sent a clear message to protesters objecting to illegal U.S. military flights through Shannon Airport today by fining the Shannon Two 10,000 euros after they were convicted of interfering with the operation, management and safety of the facility.

On May 3, the jury found Tarak Kauff and Kenneth Mayers not guilty on the two charges of criminal damage and trespass at Shannon airport, but guilty of the unusual charge of interfering with the airport operation, management or safety, which was added to the case two years after the fact. Mayers and Kauff had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Although Judge Ryan’s exorbitant fine was clearly meant as a warning to other protesters considering similar actions, a different message ended up being sent, one of solidarity and support. With 5,000 euros already on account in the bail fund, the remaining 5,000 euros was paid through the generosity of the supporters in the courtroom that day. They dug in their pockets and went to their ATMs to collect the funds within two hours, much to the judge’s surprise.

Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff were arrested on St. Patrick’s Day, 2019, at Shannon Airport for going onto the airfield to inspect U.S. military aircraft or cause them to be inspected. They carried a banner that said, “U.S. Military Veterans Say: Respect Irish Neutrality; U.S. War Machine Out of Shannon.” Over three million armed U.S. troops have passed through Shannon Airport since 2001 on their way to illegal wars in the Middle East, in violation of Irish neutrality and international law. Kauff and Mayers were attempting to either inspect the planes or to get Irish authorities to do so, but they were instead arrested.

There were three aircraft associated with the US military at Shannon at the time—a Marine Corps Cessna jet, a US Air Force Transport C40 aircraft, and an Omni Air International aircraft on contract to the U.S. military.

The defendants, who are U.S. military veterans and members of Veterans For Peace, had already spent 13 days in Limerick Prison in 2019, and their passports were confiscated, forcing them to spend a further eight months in Ireland.

During that time, the case was first moved up to the Circuit Court, assuring that they would get a jury trial, and then the venue was moved from County Clare, where the airport is located, to Dublin.

Kauff and Mayers have a different view of what the trial should have been about. “Our purpose was in our own way, to put the government and the U.S. military on trial for killing people, destroying the environment, and betraying the Irish people’s concept of their own neutrality,” said Kauff. “U.S. war-making is literally destroying this planet, and I don’t want to be silent about it.”

No senior U.S. political or military U.S leaders have ever been held accountable for war crimes committed in these Middle East wars, and no Irish officials have been held accountable for active complicity in these war crimes. Yet over 38 peace activists, including Mayers and Kauff, have been prosecuted for carrying out nonviolent peace actions at Shannon Airport in order to expose and try to prevent Irish complicity in these war crimes.

In the course of the trial, not a single Garda (Irish police) or airport security officer could point to a U.S. military plane having ever been inspected for weapons while at the airport; indeed, John Francis, chief of security at Shannon testified that he “wouldn’t be aware” if weapons or munitions were moving through the facility.

This peace action by Kauff and Mayers is a small but significant step towards getting some accountability for war crimes by the United States and other countries, including recent war crimes by both sides in Ukraine.

The world and humanity are now on the brink of World War 3 combined with catastrophic climate change, partly caused by militarism and resource wars. Peace by peaceful means was never more urgent.

 “Our justified peace actions at Shannon Airport were just one of many such peace actions by us and many other peace activists around the world” said Kenneth Mayers, “These actions are like the drops of water that gradually created the Grand Canyon in our home country.”

Other Media Coverage:

ExBulletin: No Country for Old Men with Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff
Independent.ie: Two US Army veterans convicted of interfering with operation of Shannon Airport as part of anti-war protest
The Guardian: Two ‘courteous’ US anti-war veterans in their 80s fined for disrupting Irish airport

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Shannon Two: Not Guilty on Damage, Trespass, Guilty of Interfering with Airport Operations

DUBLIN, May 3, 2022—A mixed verdict came down in the case of the Shannon Two today. They were found not guilty of the charges of criminal damage and trespass with intent to commit an offense, but they were convicted, by a vote of 10-2, of interfering with the operation, management, and safety of an airport. That charge was added two years after the original charges. They have to surrender their passports until they are sentenced.

Tarak Kauff, 80, and Ken Mayers, 85, went onto the airfield at Shannon Airport on March 17, 2019, to inspect any aircraft associated with the U.S. military that were at the airport. There were in fact three planes there at the time—a Marine Corps Cessna jet, and an Air Force Transport C40 aircraft, and one Omni Air International aircraft on contract to the U.S. military that they believed carried troops and weapons through the airport on their way to illegal wars in the Middle East, in violation of Irish neutrality and international law.

“The only think we are guilty of,” said Kauff, “is not doing more in the cause of peace.”

The sentencing will take place tomorrow at 11:30 am at the Circuit Court in Dublin.

For details about the remainder of the trial, see reports below.

Other Media Coverage

The Journal.ie: US army veterans convicted of interfering with operations at Shannon Airport
The Irish Times: US army veterans convicted of interfering with Shannon Airport operations
RTE: Protesters convicted of interfering with operation of Shannon Airport

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Jury Deliberating in the Trial of the Shannon Two

Tarak Kauff and Ken Mayers with supporters in front of the Criminal Courts April 29. PHOTO: Ellen Davidson/Colin Omeara

DUBLIN, April 29, 2022—The jury heard closing arguments and began deliberations today in the trial of the Shannon Two, two U.S. military veterans who were arrested for entering the airfield at Shannon Airport on March 17, 2019. After about two and a half hours of deliberation, the jury was sent home, and will resume at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2.

Tarak Kauff, 80, and Ken Mayers, 85, went onto the airfield to inspect any aircraft associated with the U.S. military that were at the airport. There were in fact three planes there at the time—a Marine Corps Cessna jet, and an Air Force Transport C40 aircraft, and one Omni Air International aircraft on contract to the U.S. military that they believed carried troops and weapons through the airport on their way to illegal wars in the Middle East, in violation of Irish neutrality and international law.

The two men have pled not guilty to charges of criminal damage, trespass, and interfering with airport operations and safety, although they admitted that they had cut a hole in the perimeter fence and entered into the “curtilege” (land surrounding a building) of the airport.

Before closing arguments, the defense team, barristers Carol Doherty and Michael Hourigan and solicitors Michael Finucane and David Thompson, argued that the jury should be allowed to consider what is known as a necessity defense for all three charges. This defense argues that the accused committed illegal acts out of necessity to prevent a greater harm, in this case to stop the use of Shannon Airport by U.S. military aircraft and personnel on their way to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen.

The judge disallowed the necessity defense, but did allow for a defense of “lawful excuse” for the charge of criminal damage, because such a defense is specifically mentioned in the statute concerning that charge.

Prosecuting barrister Tony McGillicuddy summarized the evidence that had been presented regarding the three charges and told the jury that while Kauff and Mayers were “sincere and honorable,” they should not let sympathy for the defendants enter into their considerations. Saying there was no evidence of any munitions or soldiers aboard the Omni Air International plane they said they wanted to inspect, and therefore they had no “lawful excuse” for having damaged the perimeter fence. He said that the closure of the airport for a half-hour on March 17 was caused by the two men’s presence on two taxiways. The third charge, trespass, specifically included that the act was committed “with intent to commit an offense,” and McGillicuddy posited that the expressed aim of inspecting the U.S. military and military-contracted planes on the ground was the offense they intended.

Michael Hourigan, representing Mayers, spoke of his client’s belief that what he did was necessary in order to prevent a greater danger. He cited Mayers’ description of having delayed a cargo plane from landing and two or three commercial flights from taking off for 40 minutes as having “inconvenienced people in the cause of saving lives.” He dismissed the prosecution’s contention that Kauf and Mayers’ actions were “political posturing,” saying that “moral code is a better way to describe what propelled them to do what they did.” He quoted British Judge Lord Devlin, who said, “Trial by jury is more than an instrument of justice and more than one wheel of the constitution: it is the lamp that shows that freedom lives,” and urged the jury to be that lamp.

Kauff’s barrister, Carol Doherty, addressed the prosecution’s contention that the two men were trespassing “with intent to commit an offense” by noting that when apprehended, they were carrying nothing but their cell phones, their wallets, and a banner that said “U.S. Military Veterans Say: Respect Irish Neutrality; U.S. War Machine Out Of Shannon.” She asserted that the closure of the airport was not caused by the men’s presence on the taxiways, as they were already in custody when that closure took place.

Speaking to the charge of criminal damage, she cited Kauff’s passionate testimony about the harms done by “what he termed the U.S. war machine.” She noted that he had tried other means of protest in 2018, when he demonstrated inside the terminal at Shannon, but that he had felt compelled to take an even stronger stand.

“People who go against the grain can make a difference. It’s reasonable to assume Mr Kauff and Mr Mayers might have made a difference. Hope is a powerful thing. The fact that hope wasn’t realized on this occasion doesn’t mean this action wasn’t justified.”

“I’m a Derry girl,” she said, “so I know the power of nonviolent protest.”

Other Media Coverage

Irish Times: Jury urged to acquit US veterans accused of trespassing at Shannon Airport
Headtopics.com: Jury urged to acquit US veterans accused of trespassing at Shannon Airport
Independent: Jury urged to ‘be the lamp that shows freedom lives’ in trial of anti-war protesters

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Close of Shannon Two Trial Put Off Another Day

DUBLIN, April 28, 2022—A crowd of more than 20 supporters came out today to see closing arguments in the trial of the Shannon Two, but unfortunately, the case was put off until the next day, due something arising that Judge Patricia Ryan had to tend to. The case will reconvene Friday, April 29, at 10:00 am.

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Prosecution and Defense Rest in Trial of Shannon Two

DUBLIN, April 27, 2002—Both prosecution and defense wrapped up their cases today in the case of the Shannon Two, two U.S. military veterans who were arrested for entering the airfield at Shannon Airport on March 17, 2019.

Tarak Kauff, 80, and Ken Mayers, 85, went onto the airfield to inspect any aircraft associated with the U.S. military that were at the airport. There were in fact three planes there at the time—a Marine Corps Cessna jet, and an Air Force Transport C40 aircraft, and one Omni Air International aircraft on contract to the U.S. military that they believed carried troops and weapons through the airport on their way to illegal wars in the Middle East, in violation of Irish neutrality and international law.

The defendants are not contesting the fact that they created a hole in the airport perimeter fencing and entered the area without authorization. They say they did so for “lawful excuse,” in order to bring attention to the illegal transport of troops and weapons through the facility and to pressure authorities to inspect the planes, rather than accepting U.S. diplomatic assurances that munitions are not moving through the airport.

Nevertheless, much of the prosecution’s case consisted of witnesses from the police and airport security recounting the details of the men’s actions and the response from authorities. During the course of this testimony, it became clear that the chartered Omni flights were commonly known to be carrying troops and that no airport security or police officials had ever searched those planes or any U.S. military planes to determine if there were weapons or munitions on board. In fact, Airport Chief Security Officer John Francis had testified the previous day that he “wouldn’t be aware” if a plane carrying weapons was coming through the airport or whether any exemption had been granted to allow such transport.

The prosecution’s last two witnesses were Colm Moriarty and Noel Carroll, both from the Shannon Garda (police) Station. The two oversaw the interviews of Kauff and Mayers on the day of their arrest. The prosecutor read the transcripts of the interviews, which were confirmed by the two police officers.

The interviews show clearly the defendants’ intentions on entering the airfield. Both clearly explained that they were intending to inspect an Omni Air International flight that was on the ground at the time for troops or weapons.

Mayers said his authority was “the obligation of citizens to do what is right.” When asked about whether his actions put people in danger, he said, “I recognize that [by] unauthorized access to the airfield I created a small but finite element of danger, however, I know by allowing U.S. military and CIA aircraft to pass through Shannon, the Irish government is certainly putting many innocent people in serious danger.”

Kauff was equally clear on his priorities. When asked if he understood what “criminal damage” was, he responded, “I think so. It is something that the United States military have been doing for a long time in massive amounts.” He described his “lawful business in Shannon Airport” that day this way: “As a citizen of the United States and also as a veteran who has taken an oath with no expiry date to defend the Constitution against all enemies both foreign and domestic, and under international law, the Geneva Convention, I am legally mandated to oppose criminal activity of my own government, as were the Germans, who didn’t during World War II and the Nazi regime.”

Barrister Michael Hourigan opened the defense case by putting Mayers on the witness stand. Mayers described how his father had fought in World War II and the Korean War as a Marine, and so he “drank a lot of Marine Kool-Aid” growing up. He went through college on a military scholarship and joined the Marines when he graduated in 1958. Eight and a half years later he resigned his commission after seeing what was happening in Vietnam. He said the the Marines taught him that “the U.S. was not the force for peace in the world I had been led to believe.”

He eventually joined Veterans For Peace, and he read to the jury the organization’s statement of purpose, which speaks of working nonviolently to end war as an instrument of foreign policy, among other goals.

Mayers explained that, although he knew he was probably violating a statute with his actions, he felt it was necessary to prevent greater harm. He cited the war in Yemen, which is supported by U.S. equipment and logistics. “Even today, the people of Yemen are threatened with mass starvation,” he said. “Of all people, the Irish people should be aware of the importance of preventing this kind of mass starvation.”

He also noted that when planes from a belligerent country land in a neutral country, “that country has an obligation under international law to inspect [the plane].” He cited the 1907 Hague Convention on Neutrality requiring neutral countries to seize weapons from belligerent countries.

He described U.S. use of Shannon for military purposes as “a great disservice to the Irish people,” and pointed out that the vast majority of Irish people favor neutrality for their country. “If we can contribute to the enforcement of Irish neutrality,” he said, “that can save lives.”

Mayers described his action as “the best opportunity we had to make an impact.” He said, “I felt that the consequences of violating that statute were to me personally not as great as the consequences of not violating that statute.” Invoking the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960s, he said, “Direct action by the citizenry ultimately is what produces change,” change that will not come about “without continued and forceful intervention by citizens.”

On cross examination, prosecuting barrister Tony McGillucuddy asked Mayers whether he had attempted other measures to get the planes at Shannon Airport inspected, such as petitioning public officials or asking police to do so. He cut Mayers off when he attempted to explain why he had not explored these avenues in this case, but in redirect, Mayers was allowed to explain that he was aware of many attempts by Irish activists to go through all the channels mentioned by the prosecutor, and that most of these efforts did not even receive a response from officials, much less any action.

The second and last defense witness was Tarak Kauff, who, in contrast to Mayers’ measured tone even in the face of intense and sometimes hostile questioning by the prosecutor, expressed passionately his frustration and anger with U.S. military use of Shannon.

Under questioning from defense barrister Carol Doherty, Kauff described joining the army at the age of 17 and getting out in 1962, just as U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War was escalating. He became an antiwar activist, citing his “responsibility as a human being and also as a veteran to object and oppose this warmaking.”

He first learned about U.S. military involvement at Shannon Airport in 2016, from veterans who were launching Veterans For Peace Ireland. “I believed it was my moral and human responsibility … to bring attention to this issue,” especially when children are dying, he stated. When asked about breaking the law with his actions, he said, “I’m talking about international law, war crimes, unlawful wars. It’s everyone’s responsibility.”

Kauff returned to Ireland in 2018 for a peace conference, and at that time engaged in a protest inside the Shannon terminal, using the same banner he and Mayers carried out on the airfield in 2019. Asked whether he thought that had been effective, he said, “Somewhat,” but that the planes were still coming through Shannon.

He compared them to the urgency of breaking into a burning building to rescue children inside: “What the U.S. was doing, with the compliance of the Irish government,” was like a burning building.

On cross-examination, McGillicuddy pointed out that Kauff had cut a hole in the airport fence, to which he responded: “Yes I did damage the fence, I was acting on my own moral beliefs,” he said. He also pointed out that “the U.S. government and the Irish government have been breaking the law. Irish people are sick and tired of their government kowtowing to the U.S. That is the issue here!”

“There’s a higher purpose here than the law which says you can’t trespass, that you can’t cut a fence,” Kauff said.

He spoke emotionally about how he personally knew veterans who had come through Shannon with their weapons, and also how veteran friends of his had committed suicide, unable to live with what they had done in the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East. “That’s the real damage … Damaging a fence is nothing. Nobody died and I should expect that you should understand that as well.”

It is sometimes difficult to measure the effects of political activism, but it’s clear that Kauff and Mayers have lit a spark in the Irish movement for peace and neutrality with their actions at Shannon and the subsequent publicity when they were jailed for two weeks and then forced to stay in the country for another eight months before their passports were returned to them has lit a spark in the Irish peace movement.

When asked if he felt that his work for peace was effective, Mayers said that he had gotten “feedback from people who have been moved by what I’ve done.” He drew an analogy to the Grand Canyon, which he said was formed by countless drops of water. As a protester, he said, he felt “like one of those drops of water.”

The case, presided over by Patricia Ryan, continues with closing statements and jury instruction tomorrow.

Other Media

Irish Examiner: Two octogenarian anti-war protesters tell court some things are ‘mandated by God’
Times of London: Shannon airport trespass trial told of ‘nicest and most courteous protesters’
TheJournal.ie: Men charged with trespass at Shannon Airport argue actions were legal under international law
Irish Central: US “Veterans for Peace” appear in Irish court after Shannon Airport St. Patrick’s Day protest

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Shannon Two Trial: Security Chief Doesn’t Know If Weapons Go Through His Airport

DUBLIN, April 26, 2022—The prosecution plowed methodically through its case in the second day of the trial of the Shannon Two. Since the defense has already stipulated to most of the facts that the testimony was meant to establish, the main new information the jury got from today’s witnesses was that defendants Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff were model arrestees, pleasant, cooperative, and compliant, and that the airport’s chief security officer has no idea whether weapons are moving through airport he guards and admitted that he has never checked.

Mayers and Kauff were arrested March 17, 2019, at Shannon Airport for going onto the airfield to inspect any aircraft associated with the U.S. military that were at the airport. When they entered the airport there were two U.S. military aircraft at the airport—a Marine Corps Cessna jet, and an Air Force Transport C40 aircraft—and one Omni Air International aircraft on contract to the U.S. military that they believed carried troops and weapons through the airport on their way to illegal wars in the Middle East, in violation of Irish neutrality and international law. The U.S. and Irish governments, and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs (which approved the refueling of the U.S. military aircraft at Shannon) maintain the fiction that there are no weapons being carried on the U.S. military aircraft, and that these aircraft are also not on military exercises and not on military operations. However even if this were true, the very presence of these aircraft passing through Shannon airport on their way to a war zone is in clear breach of international laws on neutrality.

Inexplicably, the Irish Department of Transport, which approves the refueling of civilian aircraft contracted to the U.S. military to transport troops through Shannon Airport, also approves the fact that most U.S. troops traveling on these aircraft are carrying automatic rifles with them through Shannon airport. This is also in clear breach of international laws on neutrality and is also arguably in breach of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs prohibition on the transit of weapons of belligerent states through Irish territory.

The two men have pled not guilty to charges of criminal damage, trespass, and interfering with airport operations and safety.

The prosecution presented eight witnesses in the second day of the trial at the Dublin Circuit Court—three Garda (police) from the local Shannon station, two Shannon Airport Police, and the airport’s duty manager, its maintenance manager, and its chief security officer.

Most of the testimony concerned details such as when the intruders were first noticed, who was called, when and where they were taken, how many times they were read their rights, and how the hole in the airport perimeter fence through which they entered the airfield was repaired. There was also testimony about the temporary closing down of airport operations while airport personnel made sure there were no other unauthorized personnel on the airfield, and three outgoing flights and one incoming flight that were delayed by up to a half-hour.

The defense has already conceded that Kauff and Mayers had “been involved in the making of an opening in the perimeter fence,” and that they had indeed entered the “curtilage” (land surrounding a building) of the airport, and that the defendants had no issues with their arrest and subsequent treatment by the police, so much of this testimony was not needed to establish these matters of agreed-upon fact.

In cross-examination, the defense barristers, Michael Hourigan and Carol Doherty, working with solicitors David Thompson and Michael Finucane, focused more on the issues that had caused Mayers and Kauff to enter the airfield—the transport of troops and munitions through neutral Ireland on their way to illegal wars—and the fact that the two were clearly engaged in protest. The defense brought out the point that it was commonly known that flights by civilian airline Omni were chartered by the U.S. military and carried military personnel to and from the Middle East, where the United States was carrying out illegal wars and occupations.

Richard Moloney, Shannon Airport Police Fire Officer, said the Omni flight that Kauff and Mayers wanted to inspect “would be there for the purpose of transporting military personnel.” He compared Shannon Airport to a “big petrol station in the sky,” saying it was “strategically positioned in the world—perfect distance from America and perfect distance from the Middle East.” He said that the Omni troop flights used Shannon “for a fuel stopover or food stopover on their way to Eastern Europe and the Middle East.”

Shannon Garda Noel Carroll, who was the initial arresting officer on the scene, was at the airport at the time performing what he called “close protection of two American military aircraft” that were on Taxiway 11. He explained that this involved remaining “in close proximity” to the planes while they were on the taxiway and that three army personnel were also assigned to this duty. When asked whether he had ever been required to go aboard one of the U.S. military aircraft at Shannon to inspect it for weapons, he replied, “Never.”

The most surprising testimony came from John Francis, Chief Airport Security Officer at Shannon since 2003. In his position, he is responsible for aviation security, campus security, and security systems, and is the point of contact for Garda, armed forces, and other government agencies.

He noted, when asked, that he was aware of the prohibition on the transport of arms through the airport unless a specific exemption is granted, but said he was unaware of whether any arms were in fact transported through the airport or if any such exemption had ever been granted. He said that the Omni troop flights were “not scheduled,” and “they can show up any time,” and that he “wouldn’t be aware” if a plane carrying weapons was coming through the airport or whether any exemption had been granted to allow such transport.

The jury also heard testimony from five other prosecution witnesses: Airport Security Officer Noel McCarthy; Raymond Pyne, the Duty Airport Manager who made the decision to shut down operations for a half-hour; Mark Brady, the Airport Maintenance Manager who oversaw repairs to the perimeter fence, and Shannon Gardai Pat Keating and Brian Jackman, who both served as “Member in Charge,” responsible for assuring that arrestees’ rights are respected and that they are not mistreated.

Despite the prosecution’s focus on proving that Mayers and Kauff cut a hole in the perimeter fence and entered the airfield without authorization, facts the defendants readily concede, for the two U.S. military veterans, the central issue of the trial is continuing U.S. use of Shannon airport as a military facility, making Ireland complicit in its illegal invasions and occupations. Says Mayers: “The most important thing to come out of this trial would be a greater recognition on the part of both Irish elected representatives and the public of the importance of Irish neutrality and the great threat presented by the U.S. manipulation of governments around the world.”

Mayers also noted that the defense strategy would be that of “lawful excuse,” i.e. they had a legitimate reason for their acts. This tactic, known in the United States as a “necessity defense,” is rarely successful in protest cases in the United States, as judges frequently will not allow the defense to pursue that line of argument. He said, “If the jury finds us not guilty because of the Irish provisions in law for lawful excuse, it’s a powerful example that should also be followed by the United States.”

There was one other theme that emerged from the testimony today: Kauff and Mayers were universally described as polite and cooperative. Said Garda Keating, they were “probably the two best custodians I’ve ever had in 25 years.” Airport Police Fire Officer Moloney went further: It was “not my first rodeo with peace protesters,” he said, but these two were “the nicest and most courteous I have met in my 19 years at Shannon Airport.”

The trial, presided over by Judge Patricia Ryan, is due to continue at 11 am, Wednesday, April 27.

Additional Press Coverage:

Irish Examiner: Shannon Airport trespass trial hears of ‘nicest and most courteous’ peace protestors
The Journal: Men accused of Shannon Airport trespass were ‘nicest and most courteous protesters’, trial hears
BreakingNews.ie: Two US war veterans detained at airport were ‘the nicest and most courteous protesters’
RTE: Court hears men were ‘nicest, most courteous protesters’

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Trial Opens for Shannon Two in Dublin

DUBLIN, April 25, 2022—The trial of the Shannon Two got off to a faster than expected start today, moving through jury empaneling and the prosecution’s opening four witnesses.

The two, Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff, were arrested March 17, 2019, at Shannon Airport for going onto the airfield to inspect U.S. military planes at the facility. They carried a banner that said, “U.S. Military Veterans Say: Respect Irish Neutrality; U.S. War Machine Out of Shannon.” Millions of U.S. troops have been moved through Shannon Airport since 2001 on their way to illegal wars in the Middle East, in violation of Irish neutrality and international law. The U.S. maintains that the troops are not going through the airport with their weapons, a fiction the Irish government accepts to avoid its lawful duty to inspect the planes. Kauff and Mayers were attempting to either inspect the planes or to get Irish authorities to do so, but they were instead arrested.

The charges against Mayers and Kauff—criminal damage, trespass, and interfering with airport operations and safety—were read and they pled not guilty to all three.

The men, who are U.S. military veterans and members of Veterans For Peace, had already spent two weeks in prison after being denied bailed immediately after their arrest. When they were finally granted bail, their passports were confiscated and they spent eight months in Ireland before their passports were returned and they could go home in early December.

During that time, the case was first moved up to the Circuit Court, assuring that they would get a jury trial, and then moved in venue from Ennis County, where the airport is located, to Dublin.

On the opening day of the trial, jury selection was interrupted for nearly half an hour when one juror asserted his right to take the oath in Gaelige (Ireland is officially a bilingual nation), and the court officer could not find the appropriate text. After much searching online and elsewhere, a scruffy book was produced that had the required text, and Judge Patricia Ryan struggled through the pronunciation to administer the oath.

After the jury was empaneled and the judge gave some instruction regarding their role, the prosecution opened their case. Barrister Tony McGillicuddy laid out the charges, and told jury members that they were the sole arbiter of fact in the case. Before McGillicuddy began calling witnesses, the two defense barristers, Carol Doherty for Kauff and Michael Hourigan for Mayers, both stipulated that the defense was not contesting that Kauff and Mayers had “been involved in the making of an opening in the perimeter fence,” and that they had indeed entered the “curtilage” (surrounding land) of the airport. The defense was hoping to move quickly through the uncontested areas of fact to what they view as the main point of the trial—putting the U.S. war machine, and Ireland’s complicity in it, on trial. Despite this concession, the prosecution proceeded with four witnesses whose evidence was intended to prove that Kauff and Mayers had cut a hole in the fence and entered airport property.

The first witness, a Garda (police) officer from Dublin, explained how he had traveled to Shannon and created maps of the airport, noting various relevant sites, such as where a pair of bolt cutters had been found, where the hole was in the fence, and the location of certain runways and taxiways. These maps were then used by the next two witnesses, Ennis County-based Garda Dennis Herlihy, who was called to the scene March 17 to investigate an “issue of criminal damage,” and Shannon Airport Police Fire Service Officer Trevor McMahon, who described his overnight shift on March 16, and how he patrolled the perimeter fence twice and found nothing abnormal. The final witness of the day was Shannon Airport Police Inspector James Watson, who was unable to appear in person, and whose statement was read into the record.

Kauff and Mayers have a different view of what the trial should be about. “The purpose is to, in our own way, put the government and the U.S. military on trial for killing people and animals, destroying the environment, and betraying the Irish people’s concept of their own neutrality,” said Kauff. “U.S. warmaking is literally destroying this planet, and I don’t want to be silent about it.”

Several peace activists attended the trial, including Ed Horgan, who works with Shannonwatch and founded Veterans For Peace Ireland and has himself been arrested three times for trying to inspect planes at Shannon. More supporters are expected when the case continues tomorrow at 11 am at the Circuit Criminal Court, Parkgate Street, Dublin 8.

When Kauff and Mayers returned to Ireland April 21, the immigration officer noted that “when you here the last time you caused some trouble, is there going to be any trouble this time?” The only trouble I’ve ever known these two to get into is “good trouble.” Let’s hope they continue that tradition.

Additional Press Coverage

BreakingNews.ie: Two US military veterans on trial for alleged damage and trespass at Shannon Airport
Independent: Two octogenarian ‘Veterans for Peace’ go on trial accused of protest that shut Shannon Airport runway

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U.S. Veterans Finally Allowed to Return from Ireland

After being held for more than eight months in Ireland, Tarak Kauff and Ken Mayers finally returned to the United States Dec. 3 and 4 respectively. They were arrested March 17 for going onto the airfield at Shannon Airport to protest illegal U.S. military flights through the airport on their way to wars in the Middle East. The flights violate Irish neutrality and make the country complicit in the ongoing illegal occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

The Irish prosecutors had argued that Kauff and Mayers were a flight risk, despite the fact that the two were committed to return for their trial, and their passports had been confiscated as part of their bail conditions. On Nov. 8, their case was moved from the Ennis Circuit Court to Dublin, which is so backed up that it meant their trial was at least a year off. The High Court finally ruled on Nov. 26 that their passports should be returned to them so they could return home to await trial. Their trial is now set for April 13, 2021.

Updates on Ken and Tarak   *   Donate to defray legal and other costs

The two members of Veterans For Peace were arrested March 17 for going onto the airfield at Shannon Airport to demand that police inspect a U.S.-military contracted plane believed to be carrying U.S. troops and weapons on their way to illegal wars in the Middle East. These flights, which have been passing through Shannon Airport since 2001, are in violation of Irish neutrality and international law. After being held in jail for nearly two weeks, Mayers and Kauff were released on 2500 euros bail each and forced to surrender their passports.

While they were unable to leave Ireland,  Kauff and Mayers spent their time drawing attention to the issue of Ireland’s complicity in illegal U.S. wars in the Middle East. They completed two “Boots on the Ground for Freedom” walks. In September they carried out nearly a month of walks through the northwest of Ireland, beginning at Limerick Prison, where they were held without bail, and ending at Malin Head, at the site of a marker reading “Eire,” meant to signal pilots to respect Ireland’s neutrality during World War II. In October, they completed phase two of the walks, this time in the northeast, from Dun Laoghaire to the border at Dundalk.

See updates from the “Boots on the Ground for Freedom” walks.

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Below is the initial press release explaining their arrest and the refusal of bail. For information on actions you can take and updates on their legal situation, please click on the “Ken and Tarak” button above or go to stopthesewars.org/kenandtarak.

For immediate release 18 March, 2019
Press Statement

Two US Veterans For Peace Refused Bail at Ennis District Court
Monday 18 March
Charged with Trespass and Causing Criminal Damage at Shannon airport

For updates, see stopthesewars.org/kenandtarak or click on the link above.

A group of seven US Veterans for Peace took part in a protest against US Military Base at Shannon Airport on Sunday March 17^th.

WHY? Shannon used for refueling troop planes bound for Middle East wars in which up to one million [1,000,000] children have died since 1991.

Two US veterans were arrested at Shannon Airport on 17 March for entering the airfield to inspect and investigate an OMNI Air International plane on contract to the U.S. military.  The two, Tarak Kauff and Ken Mayers, were refused bail at Ennis District Court today.

The plane, tail number N351AX, arrived at Shannon Airport about 8.30 a.m. from Eielson US air force base in Faribanks Alaska, believed to be on its way to the Middle East with up to 300 armed US troops.

At about 10 am Mayers, a former Marine Corps Major and Kauff, a former Army paratrooper, both members of US Veterans For Peace, entered the airfield carrying a large banner that said:

U.S. Veterans say
Respect Irish Neutrality
U.S. War Machine out of Shannon Airport
Veterans For Peace

The two walked across the air field with the intent of inspecting the plane for weapons or munitions, but were apprehended by airport security and Gardai.  There were detained and interviewed at Shannon Garda station and held overnight for arraignment on charges of trespass and criminal damage.

At Ennis District Court this morning Mayers and Kauff were represented by solicitor Darragh Hassett. The prosecution outlined the charges against them and indicated that they were opposed to bail. Garda Sergeant Noel Carroll gave evidence of arrest on Taxiway 12 at Shannon airport. He also stated that there was a US military aircraft at the airport, most likely referring to OMNI Air N351AX. He also confirmed that the defendants were both veterans of the US military. The prosecutor, Inspector Thomas Kennedy, said there had been substantial damage to the airport perimeter fence.

When the bail issue was being discussed Solicitor Hassett initially stated that the defendants were prepared to agree to bail conditions that involved surrendering their passports, and remaining in Ireland for the duration of the legal processes. This was an unacceptable condition as it would mean that the defendants would have to remain in Ireland at their own expense for up to two years before the trial would occur, and this restriction amounts to punishment without trial.

The defendants then requested an adjournment to discuss matters with their solicitor.

After the court resumed, Hassett emphasized that the defendants needed to return home to the USA and would sign a sworn undertaking to return for trial. The prosecution opposed this and continued to oppose the granting of any bail.

Judge Maire Keane then ruled that she was denying bail to the accused and remanded them in custody to Limerick Prison, where they are to appear for a further court mention hearing by video from the prison on Wednesday 20 March.

Further discussions were then held with Solicitor Hassett. He raised the option of appealing the bail refusal to the High Court in Dublin and he was told to lodge such an appeal. He indicated that it would likely be Thursday 28 March before this High Court appeal would be heard.

Ed Horgan, coordinator of Irish Veterans For Peace, said, “This process is a clear attempt to punish the two VFP activists before any trial takes place. We are calling on all peace and human rights activists in Ireland and internationally to campaign not only on behalf of Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff, but, more important, on behalf of all the innocent people being killed and injured by US illegal wars.”

Major Ken Mayers served 12 years in the US Marine Corps. He is a former National Board member of Veterans For Peace and participate in veterans peace team delegations to Palestine, Okinawa, Jeju Island, South Korea, and Standing Rock.

Tarak Kauff was a paratrooper in the US Army during the early sixties. He was a member of the VFP National Board of Directors for six years. He has organized veterans delegations to Palestine, Okinawa, South Korea and Standing Rock. He is currently the managing editor of Peace In Our Times, VFP’s quarterly 24-page newspaper.

Contact details:

Ellen Davidson Veterans For Peace USA, Phone in USA: 917-297-8076
Ellen.davidson@verizon.net

Edward Horgan, Veterans For Peace Ireland, Phone +353858519623 edwardhorgan45@gmail.com