Anti-Israel radicals storm Ireland's Shannon Airport in shocking security breach

Last Thursday, Shannon Airport in County Clare, Ireland, was forced to halt operations for over an hour after anti-Israel protesters from Palestine Action Éire violently breached its security perimeter. The group, dressed in orange jumpsuits, hard hats, and face coverings, drove a white van through the airport’s perimeter fence at approximately 6:20 p.m., targeting an Omni Air Boeing 767-300 CRAF they claimed was aiding Israeli military operations in Gaza. The van became stuck in a ditch, preventing further advance, and three activists who fled toward a taxiway were swiftly apprehended by airport police and An Garda Síochána. The suspects are detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, as investigations continue.

Palestine Action Éire claimed responsibility, alleging the aircraft was transporting U.S. weapons to the Middle East, a claim supported by The Ditch’s reports of munitions transiting Irish airspace since October 2023. However, Taoiseach Simon Harris, speaking on RTÉ’s Late Late Show on May 2, denied knowledge of such activities, stating, “The information available to me is that people need to seek consent before any such flights take place, and there is no information available to me in relation to that happening.” He acknowledged the challenge of monitoring high-altitude flights and called for international cooperation, while condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza as “despicable, disgusting, unconscionable and a humanitarian catastrophe.”

The incident exacerbates Ireland’s growing antisemitism problem, highlighted by a 2024 Anti-Defamation League report noting increased hostility toward Jews amid anti-Israel sentiment. Ireland’s relations with Israel have deteriorated, with Israel closing its Dublin embassy in December 2024 after Ireland recognized a Palestinian state and joined South Africa’s ICJ “genocide” case against Israel. Jewish communities in Ireland, already small, face heightened fear, with incidents like vandalism of synagogues in Dublin reported in recent years. The Shannon breach, disrupting flights and endangering safety, underscores how anti-Israel activism can veer into reckless endangerment, fueling broader concerns about antisemitic rhetoric and actions in Ireland.