On 29 January 2003, Irish peace activist Mary Kelly, a nurse and mother from West Cork, climbed the perimeter fence of Shannon Airport on Ireland's west coast -- a stop of the U.S. military on the way to Iraq -- and damaged a U.S. warplane with an axe, temporarily disabling it. (Subsequently, more warplanes were damaged in two other actions by five members of the Catholic Workers and Pitstop Ploughshares communities.)

Mary's July 2003 trial resulted in a hung jury after she argued that she acted to prevent criminal attacks upon the Iraqi people in an illegal war. She was retried in 2004, but the judge disallowed all testimony regarding the Iraq war and why Ireland's support is unconstitutional -- including expert testimony from such luminaries as former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark. She was declared guilty by a 10-2 vote of the jury, the minimum required to convict.

SUCCESS! Mary faced a potential ten-year prison term for her action -- longer than terms meted out in Ireland to murderers and other violent criminals. However, on 1 Dec 2004, after hundreds of ProgressivePortal.org users submitted letters to the judge, Mary was given a suspended sentence. Mary still needs your support for the expenses already incurred and for her appeal of the conviction (she expects to win once her case is appealed to European Union courts).

For More Information, See These Sources:

The Mary Kelly Web site
Counterpunch: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Iraq"
Counterpunch/Jonah House: "Jury Convicts Plowshares Activist Mary Kelly"
Indymedia Ireland: "Mary Kelly on Trial: Call for Support"
PlowsharesActions.org: "Mary Kelly's Statement"
Irish Times/IrishAntiwar.org: "Attempt To Make Trial of Anti-War Activist Political"
By Mary Kelly: "Key to Shannon"