Eddie ‘punches’ back at ‘empty attention-seeking’ Shannon Airport protest

Cratloe-based Independent European election candidate Eddie Punch said a protest at Shannon over the Israel-Palestine conflict was an “empty, attention- seeking gesture”.

Mr Punch, general secretary of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association, believes the actions of demonstrators to block the approach to the terminal building will do nothing to help those suffering in the conflict.

Hundreds of protestors, many carrying Palestinian flags descended on Shannon Airport earlier this month.

It was supported by Irish anti-war organisations.

The events, Mr Punch claimed, forced passengers to abandon their vehicles and walk almost two kilometres in order to catch their flights.

“While freedom of protest is fundamental to any democracy, the nature and effectiveness of protest is something worth considering,” he said.

Mr Punch says while he has enormous sympathy for the suffering of the Palestinian community and has supported widespread calls for a ceasefire and a Middle Eastern peace plan, he doesn’t think the actions of the protest group are the way to go.

“I fail to see how blocking both lanes on the only public vehicular approach to Shannon Airport will serve in any way to deter the Israeli defence forces from its military operation in Gaza,” said Mr Punch.

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He pointed out that almost two million passengers used Shannon Airport last year, with the base supporting more than 20,000 jobs and generating almost €650 million in tax revenues.

“Of course, protests at Shannon Airport are nothing new but all that blocking the N19 achieved was to inconvenience passengers wishing to access the terminal; it didn’t prevent the deployment of any Israeli military hardware.

"Diplomatic action must be pursued to end this appalling war. Blocking the road into Shannon Airport represented an empty, attention-seeking gesture which ultimately benefited no-one,” he concluded.

Mr Punch said if elected to the European Parliament, he would support plans for a renewable energy hub in the grounds of Shannon International Airport.