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| Kissinger Watch #2 - 04 | |
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| Cork: WAR CRIMES PROTEST AS KISSINGER VISITS CORK | |
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| By Olivia Kelleher The Irish Times, February 28, 2002 Former US Secretary of State Dr Henry Kissinger denied he was a war criminal yesterday, saying it was an insult to human intelligence for protesters in Cork to compare him to Slobodan Milosevic. Protesters at University College Cork chanted and waved banners bearing the words "The Milosevic of Manhattan" prior to the arrival of the 56th US Secretary of State, who was in office during the controversial Nixon administration. Dr Kissinger said he was pleased to discover that even in Ireland people were not indifferent to him. However, he said he was incensed at comparisons made between him and known war criminals. "These people are throwing around allegedly criminal charges without a shred of real evidence. I don't know who they [the protesters] represent, but I wish their knowledge equalled their passion." Dr Kissinger, who was visiting the university to deliver a speech at an MBA Association of Ireland business conference, said he had never replied to derogatory remarks made about him in the media. "I consider them [the accusations] fundamentally beneath contempt. They are based on distortions and mis-representations." […] WAR CRIMINAL MET WITH HUGE PROTESTS by Mary Kelly http://www.afan.org.uk | |
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| 28 February 2002 Dear Everyone. We had not even expected to get inside UCC, Cork university, so we were amazed to even get up to the door of the Aula Max where a banquet for Kissinger was about to begin. A friend was already was already leafletting the guests entering the hall with a brilliant letter titled "Guess who's coming to dinner?" It documented SOME of K's skullduggery in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Chile, East Timor, … and should have made their wine and food harder to digest in the presence of this war criminal. Stretched out on the grass in front was an enormous black and white poster of that famous "Vietnam" picture of a boy and girl running screaming, she with her clothes burnt off by napalm, courtesy of Kissinger. There was not a large Garda (police) presence and the weather was stormy, with hail and snowstorms. About 60 protestors gathered outside the windows of the dining hall, chanting MURDERER, NOBEL PRIZE GENOCIDE!, MILOSEVIC OF MANHATTAN! We could see surprised guests peer out at times, so it was good to know that they could hear our drums and tribal war cries outside! The Garda only stepped in when we tried to climb up to the windows. A regular protestor, Pat the Picket who is usually incoherent and over the top at meetings was given full reign to stride up and down like a Napolean ranting and raging about all the millions of starving people in the world, and he would lead full blooded chants that we joined in. Basically the guests were given a full on history lesson and we let them know that K should be in the Hague NOT in UCC. After 3 hours we retired to the pub then to bed and then up for 7am where we gathered in the campus again this time outside the Boole library where 300 punters paid $300 to hear him speak. Loads of drummers were there keeping the heartbeat going and loads of new/old activists who usually don't come to demos and have not been out in the streets since the 60's and 70's turned out to show their disgust and shout SHAME at all those people entering the building. We did several press interviews and there were about 50 protestors at this stage. I had spent some time working on the legal aspect and had written to the DPP asking him to initiate legal proceedings. He replied stating that it was a criminal matter so I faxed 20 pages to the Garda Comissioner and the Local Garda asking them to take the initiative. I hope they might take a leaf out of CID's book in the UK where it was the Police who began the thing about Pinochet. There was a huge Garda presence. I asked to be let into the building, and spoke to the Garda in charge, asking were they going to take action? I got an answer that said it was not up to them they would be thinking about it and I would be contacted in due course. I politely expressed my dissatisfaction at such a pawn like answer and asked that they make history NOW and take initiative! One Garda called Simon actually stepped out of line and came over and HUGGED me ! It felt lovely, but they were still saying they had no power. I had asked a Chilean friend to be part of the legal angle and to give the whole thing more weight, but he was too scared to as he wants be able to return to Chile some day. He and his wife were lucky to get out and fled to Ireland 27 years ago. Her brother was disappeared. They are a lovely couple. We have seen him speak at public talks and he always breaks down and cries when recounting that horrific time. So I was delighted when they made the journey from Shannon for the protest. Enrique gave a brilliant radio interview spelling out exactly Kissinger's involvement in the massacres and tortures and disappearances in his country. A guy came up to me shaking and stuttering saying he was a Barrister who was willing to give us legal backup. That felt good as he gave me a copy of the exact article in our Irish Constitution that said that war criminals could be tried in Ireland even if there was no direct Irish involvement. A journalist had tried to trip me up on that one so it was good to have the chapter and verse to hand. I had assumed that Kissinger was inside the Boole Library as the conference was due to start at 8, and was really amazed that we were allowed right inside the campus. Then I heard that K had given a interview from his hotel at 8 30. So Becky and I started patrolling the 3 entrances trying to suss which one would they choose to get him inside. We joined up with some student/activists from Limerick and this is where mobile phones are so handy. The main body of protestors were swelling to 100, and kept up a ferocious onslaught of blood curdling chants and BOO's . It snowed and rained but spirits were very high. I tried talking to the cops guarding the entrances. Some of them said they were not born during the Vietnam days so we educated them and had serious chat about the limitations of their union. At 11 am we got the vibe and sure enough a red Special Branch car drew up followed by a limousine with himself inside. Then followed a scene where I saw an old man struggle to get out of his car attempting to look dignified. There was a huge cordon of police but there was only one Garda between me and HIM. I stretched through my hand and caught him by the arm for a few seconds. I was like a terrier and would not let go. I shouted CITIZEN'S ARREST and he turned to see who had hold of him. Next I got a punch in the neck from a Garda and was sent reeling . People were baying for his blood and he looked seriously rattled. The Gardai JUST about got him in the doors and slammed them shut. We were elated at having got so close, and milled outside exchanging impressions. I asked some people to give me cover and undid the dust caps on his tyres, shoved in a biro and HISS the sound of the air coming out of 2 of his tyres was drowned in our noise till the driver got wise and called the cops and had to get a machine to quickly inflate them again. The next hour we spent closely watching the Garda and Special Branch moving around cars and trying to suss where he would exit. They erected loads of fencing to keep us back. Inside, Tracey, a student and fellow TP2000 activist had managed to get inside with other students. She started screaming there is a MURDERER IN HERE and created a huge disturbance inside. At noon about 400 protestors had gathered, our numbers quickly swelled by students who received accelerated education through our leafletting and the noisy demo which brought the campus to a standstill. A large body of us were blocking the road. The police started coming on heavy, saying if we did not move we could be arrested under section blah blah. The students angrily said but this is OUR campus. I said under Section 34 of our Constitution they should be arresting that war criminal. One guard said 'But Mary, two wrongs don't make a right and you are breaking the law.' I said 'Yes but you are breaking a bigger law by not arresting HIM.' He sort of nodded his head in agreement and I grabbed his walkie talkie and said 'Hey! this guy is stupid!' into it. Everyone cracked up laughing including himself. Becky engaged with the Guarda about Tristan's murder, saying that her son had been killed by policies made by people like Kissinger. The friendly Guard Simon was very affected by this. Very soon they insisted we move as the Special Branch wanted to go for their lunch and we were blocking the road, and go home now , ye have made your point etc. I said 'NO WAY.' We all have jobs and kids and had to take a day off to come and do this and we were not leaving till they put him in the paddy wagon with handcuffs on. With that Becky and I linked arms and sat on the road . Some students joined us and we were nose to nose with the car of the head of the Special Branch, who looked like Fred Moloney! The Garda said they had to arrest us. We said 'Fine! Go ahead.' Then all of a sudden they walked away and we got word that K had left by another exit. We then got off the road satisfied that our point had been truly made. That is the bones of what happened. The positive side is that protest is alive and kicking in Cork, and many students feel they are now able to protest effectively. It has been suggested to have a forum where UCC are forced to answer WHY they have these bastards there to speak. Also some of the professors we were in contact with said that they were threatened that funds for their Faculties could being cut just for protesting about this visit. A lot of good strong new links have been made. Since 9/11 we have not had a focus in Cork to vent the collective outrage, so that was a brilliant opportunity. For me personally it was being able to make a dent into the elite power structure, that is causing all the wars and suffering in the world, even though it is small effort it felt good. Just reading the newspapers today , I. see that we got some good coverage but I am dismayed to read at the amount HE got. He said he would not lower himself to answer any accusations as he was too intelligent to engage at that level, and that we protestors had got it all wrong and he wished we had as much intelligence as we had passion and that HE had been misunderstood. There was a huge report about his conference, where he says he is 'Impressed with Ireland's progress' in the last 10 years. and that we have built relationships with companies that have a 'global reach'. The head of Aerospace, Bombardier Shorts, the biggest employer Arms factory in the country, was there encouraging more 'foreign direct investment'. There was a lot of focus on DNA, microchips, Genetic Engineering and Technology. Also he has been sent by the US to galvanise support for the war on terrorism. But we know that the US are the greatest terrorists. It is sinister and very worrying that he has wormed his evil mind into 300 stooges yesterday. It is a huge task we protestors have ahead of us. On the negative side, it is disappointing that no solicitors or professionals were willing to get their act together for this event. They are the ones who should have been doing the legal work. Also I phoned a Cork Senator I know to congratulate him on an excellent article he had written in the local Cork paper against UCC for inviting Kissinger to speak. I asked him, would he be at the protest? He said , No Mary, I don't agree with arresting old men! So as usual we have no politicians with balls. A Green TD turned up but skulked away in the shadows in case he was seen to be too directly involved. The Dáil is a disease. Any good people that go there loose their teeth. | |
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