On 9th May a 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.
From 25th March to 10th April, 139 Irish troops participated in a German-led EU Battlegroup training exercise in Hungary, in preparation for deployment to ‘conflicts and crises’ outside the EU. While training exercises are permitted under the Defence Act, deployment on overseas missions without a UN mandate is not. If the Triple Lock is dismantled, Irish troops may be deployed, not to keep the peace, but to engage in conflict as part of an EU Battlegroup or potentially a NATO-led mission.
Since the foundation of the state, Irish troops have only served overseas on UN mandated missions. Removing the Triple Lock will fundamentally change the character of Ireland’s engagement with the world. It may also make Ireland a target for attack if Irish troops become embroiled in future wars overseas.
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.
Professor Ray Murphy of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway said:
In order to protect our military neutrality and support the UN’s role in the maintenance of international peace and security, it is essential to maintain the Triple Lock.
The Roadshow is a grassroots people-led initiative that is not affiliated with any political party. It will see local communities host speakers from diverse backgrounds including peace activists and anti-war campaigners, former peace-keepers, legal scholars, academics, writers, and artists. It forms part of a broader campaign launched earlier this year to keep Ireland neutral and save the Triple Lock.
One of the most exciting things about the Roadshow is how it brings together different campaigns and community groups involved in climate justice, Palestinian solidarity, anti-war and global social justice. Some of these groups are listed below but it is a list that will surely grow.
Mothers Against Genocide, Lex Innocentium, IPSC, No Tech for Apartheid, Climate Justice Coalition, EcoJustice Ireland, Socialist Lawyers Association of Ireland, Galway Alliance Against War, Stop Shannon LNG, Shannonwatch, Síolta Chroí, Treasure Leitrim, Love Leitrim, Clare PPN, Afri, Social Rights Ireland, Peadar O’Donnell Socialist Republican Forum, Transnational Institute, DIEM 25, Comhlámh, Healthcare Workers for Palestine, Eco Peace.
How to support the Roadshow
Attend one (or more) of the public conversations in your local town or village.
Follow and share info about the Roadshow via their social media (on Instagram and X @neutrality_now)
If you want to get involved in helping to organise a local event or find out more you can email us and we can pass it on to the relevant organisers: rundale.project@gmail.com
The Roadshow is an entirely grassroots initiative and is organised on a voluntary basis with no funding from any political parties or institutions. To help cover fuel costs and any charges related to venues, you can contribute to at the Roadshow GoFundMe page.
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.
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