As well as a an anti-war acquittal to my name I now have the privilege of being sent packing on a one-way flight from Chicago airport to Warsaw just 5 hours after I had landed in preparation to attend a conference against U.S. missile defence plans for Europe..

I was immediately detained and questioned by Homeland Security officers about my anti-war activities at Shannon in February 2003 (www.warontrial.com ), where alongside 4 friends I helped do €2 million damage to a U.S. Navy plane en route to support invasion of Iraq.   .

I informed them about our action and acquittal with pleasure. They were none too pleased.

When the idiotic Officer Bock shouted out that deportation was the least of my problems I decided there was no point of pushing his buttons too far. I made my anti-war statement, explaining that I was en route to visit my brother in Virginia, then planned going to Colorado Springs and Nebraska to speak at an anti-militarism conferences/panels and demonstrations, and especially to update people on activities in Poland and what type of support was needed.

Unfortunately I've lost $350 dollars in flight expenses while the Global Network (www.space4peace.org) Against Weapons in Space that invited me have been setback over $1,000.


Most of the detainees in the immigration room, from what I observed (and from interactions), were Mexican, Chinese, Arab and Muslim(various nationalities). One funny incident was when Officer Kramer came out and called for Mr. Mohammed - 3 people stood up. It's like going to a packed dance club in Portlaoise in 1940 and asking if 'Mary' or 'John' is present. A lot can deduced from such small incidents - it says: for us, you are all the same, a threat to national security.

I heard one officer shout at one of the Muslim detainees, who had mentioned God willing somewhere in his response to the officer, that "my God and your God are not the same Gods. I don't care about your God."

Neither common sense, human rights nor theological understanding is at the heart or fringes of O'Hare airport's Homeland Security branch.

I am certain that if Officer Bock, the nastiest officer I observed, had more authority ignorant than chief humiliator of the Homeland Security office in Chicago O'Hare airport then I would still be there, and his threat that deportation was the least of my problems could have transpired to be true.

 Damien Moran can be contacted at:

Landline 0048228944746

Mobile    0048607340093