Shimna Students Lead the Protest Against Guantanamo
Five students, Oliver Elsholtz, Claire Gould, Daniel Quinn, Riona Mageean and Peter McEvoy, representing the Shimna Integrated College branch led the Amnesty International protest marking the sixth anniversary of US detentions at Guantanamo Bay. The Belfast protest was part of a world wide demonstration campaigning to close the US run prison camp. 1000 parliamentarians, including 33 from the Northern Ireland Assembly, have signed a petition calling on the US to shut the prison camp and to stop secret detention; this petition was presented to all members on the US congress on Friday 11th January. The Shimna students led dozens of Amnesty activists, all dressed as Guantanamo inmates in orange boiler suits and face masks, together with ‘US camp guards’ who shouted orders to the ‘detainees’ and forced them to assume stress positions used at Guantanamo Bay. Principal Kevin Lambe said, “ Our branch of Amnesty International is run by students themselves, and holds a very special place within the ethos of our college. I am very proud of the students who have played a lead role in a well organised demonstration on an issue about which they feel very strongly.”
