The Neutrality Roadshow

On May 8th the Neutrality Roadshow will begin a one-month tour of Ireland to host conversations with local communities warning of the dangers to Irish neutrality if the government dismantles the Triple Lock.

In March, the government brought legislation to Cabinet to dismantle the Triple Lock, a mechanism that regulates the deployment of Irish Defence Forces overseas. This may see Irish troops being deployed, not to keep the peace, but to wage war in EU Battlegroups or NATO-led missions.

At the end of March, 139 Irish troops participated in a German-led Battlegroup training exercise in Hungary preparing for deployment to conflict zones. While participating in training missions is permitted under the Defence Act, deployments to war and conflict zones without a UN mandate is not.

Since the foundation of the state, Irish troops have only served overseas on UN mandated missions. By removing the Triple Lock the government would be paving the way for the full-scale deployment of Irish troops potentially to fight in foreign wars, which would make Ireland a target for attack. Removing the Triple Lock will fundamentally change the character of Ireland’s engagement with the world.

It forms part of a nationwide campaign launched earlier this year to Save Our Neutrality - Save the Triple Lock, which is a coalition of peace activists, neutrality advocates and concerned citizens.

Former UN peacekeeper, Edward Horgan, said:

“While the world has lost a peacemaker with the death of Pope Francis, there are no shortages of potential war-makers in Europe and internationally, In Ireland our political leaders continue to erode our active neutrality by abandoning the Triple Lock, failing to pass the Occupied Territories Bill, providing military and financial support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and appeasing the US Trump administration in its global economic war.”

Mothers Against Genocide member, Clare O’ Connor said:

“I have two children and I didn’t bring them into this world for them to be used as weapons of war, to be conscripted into war to kill other people’s children or be killed themselves. If we don't save the Triple Lock, it won't be us as parents sent off to war, it will be our children. We owe it to them to take a stronger stance to protect our neutrality”

The Roadshow is a grassroots people-led initiative that is not affiliated with any political party. It is being rolled out based on the goodwill of local communities who will host speakers from diverse backgrounds including anti-war campaigners, researchers and writers, legal scholars, poets and musicians, and more.

As we have no financial support from any political parties or institutions we are operating this roadshow on a shoestring.

Your kind donations will help us cover fuel costs, and any charges related to venues. Any excess monies left over at the end of the roadshow will be donated towards the solidarity fund to support activists advocating for Ireland to uphold its neutrality and comply with international law. That fund is used to cover medical, travel, and personal expenses for protesters recently arrested at Shannon Airport as they navigate months of court proceedings.

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