Ciaron O'Reilly Questioned by ASIO After Landing in Brisbane on Friday Night! : Melbourne Indymedia

Ciaron O'Reilly arrived in Brisbane, Australia, on Friday night Feb 3rd. after a 30 hour flight from Ireland. He was immediately met by two ASIO agents on disembarking. Brisbane born Ciaron is one of the PIt Stop Ploughshares defendants awaiting a third trial in Dublin, July 5th. Defendants have been allowed to leave the country, they are required to return to Ireland a week before the July trial. Ciaron has returned home to Brisbane, Australia to visit family.

ASIO is a secret Federal security agency. Ciaron was placed in a secure room in the airport during the interview. When asked if he had previous dealings with ASIO, he replied "Well you're a secret organisation! You tell me if I've had dealings with ASIO agents before?"

Ciaron was questioned about his plans during his 3 month stay in Australia, the civil disobedience that occured during the Shoalwater "Operation Talisman Sabre" joint U.S./OZ military exercises in 2005. Ciaron was questioned to whether he planned to accompany his brother Sean to his Alice Springs late February court date arising from his arrest following a peace demonstration at the CIA/NSA outback base Pine Gap.

References were made to the Pit Stop Ploughshares case in Ireland. Ciaron assured the agents both he and his brother were innocent of all charges awaiting hearing.

After a few jet lagged attempts to tease out the meaning of "security", "violence/nonviolence" "terrorism" and "war" the interview ended.

O'Reilly stated, "We believe security is built on the pursuit of peace and justice through nonviolent action. Security is not secured by shrinking freedoms, crushing civil liberties and harassing peace activists! If ASIO is serious about addressing violence and terrorism it should have investigated the role and arms of the USS Ronald Reagan in Brisbane last week and the ongoing targetting carried out by Pine Gap!"

Check out this interview, if you haven't yet.
How to Trash a Bomber - Interview with Peace Activist Cairann OReilly

http://nimbinradiomedia.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=10062&comments=on

cheers, martin
http://www.nimfm.org

Looks like...
by marcusneofitou@hotmail.com Tuesday February 07, 2006 at 08:44 PM

a police state is not far away.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Peace-activist-slams-ASIO-treatment/2006/02/07/1139074223455.html

Hey Folks,

I'm doing ok down here...it's very hot and dry!

There has beena bit of mainstream media interest over the past 24 hours around my experience with ASIO last Friday night.

Seems to me to occur in two contexts.

One a general crackdown on anti-war activists continuing to organise and act up against this war. See last week's sentencing in New York of the St. Patrick Day's Four
http://www.stpatricksfour.org

The imprisonment of other friends who are nonviolently resisting the School of the Americas
check out their website http://www.soaw.org.

The continued prosecution of my brother Sean on a very dodgy basis and the four Pine Gap folks on very old draconian legislation.

The second context is an Australian one. ASIO's role in last year's detention and deportation of U.S. nonviolence trainer Scott Parkin as a "threat to national security". Check out the website dealing with this case.......
http://www.scottparkin.org

And ASIO's assessment role in the present detention of approx 20 Muslims in Australia under new civil liberties crunching/ anti-terror legislation without much evidence on offer.

It seems to me, that security is only ensured by a serious nonviolent pursuit of peace & justice. It also seems to me that insecurity is being generated by Australia's involvement in illegal invasions of other countries. And also that the general fear hype, intelligence groups & new legislation are going to be used as against nonviolent actvists who continue to seriously address Australian involvement in the war.

Project SafeCom
by JH Smit Wednesday February 08, 2006 at 09:32 AM
Office (08) 9881-5651 PO Box 364, Narrogin WA 6312

Jack H Smit
Project SafeCom Inc.
http://www.safecom.org.au/
PO Box 364, Narrogin WA 6312
Office (08) 9881-5651
mobile 0417 090 130
"...before landing, please check the sedition manual
and fill out your declaration of dissent..."
Australia becomes Terror Australis:
http://www.safecom.org.au/terror-home.htm