posted 11-05-2001 03:58 AM            

Green Party USA Coordinator Detained at Airport; Prevented by Armed Military Personnel from Flying to Political Meeting in Chicago

Armed government agents grabbed Nancy Oden, Green Party USA coordinating committee member, Thursday at Bangor International Airport in Bangor Maine, as she attempted to board an American Airlines flight to Chicago.

"An official told me that my name had been flagged in the computer," a shaken Oden said. "I was targeted because the Green Party USA opposes the bombing of innocent civilians in Afghanistan."

Oden, a long-time organic farmer and peace activist in northern Maine, was ordered away from the plane. Military personnel with automatic weapons surrounded Oden and instructed all airlines to deny her passage on any flight.

"I was told that the airport was closed to me until further notice and that my ticket would not be refunded," Oden said.

Oden is scheduled to speak in Chicago Friday night on a panel concerning pesticides as weapons of war. She had helped to coordinate the Green Party USA's antiwar efforts these past few months, and was to report on these to The Greens national committee. "Not only did they stop me at the airport but some mysterious party had called the hotel and cancelled my reservation," Oden said.

The Greens National Committee -- the governing body of the Green Party USA -- is meeting in Chicago Nov. 2-4 to hammer out the details of national campaigns against bio-chemical warfare, the spraying of toxic pesticides, genetic engineering, and the Party's involvement in the burgeoning peace movement.

"I am shocked that US military prevented one of our prominent Green Party members from attending the meeting in Chicago," said Elizabeth Fattah, a GPUSA representative from Pennsylvania who drove to Chicago. "I am outraged at the way the Bill of Rights is being trampled upon."

Chicago Green activist Lionel Trepanier concluded, "The attack on the right of association of an opposition political party is chilling. The harassment of peace activists is reprehensible."

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What makes my skin crawl is that Gerry Adams,'former' terrorist; Political leader of the killing machine, the IRA. Was allowed, unmolested, into your country last week or the week before!!!!!!!!!! Yet this woman cannot travel within her own country!!!

And whilst i am on the subject of saint Adams...I told you all about the bombing by the IRA of my city, Birmingham, in the 1970s. Hundreds of people were killed, maimed and injured. Many of them were IRISH - we have a huge Irish community here!!! So the IRA killed their own!!! Added to that the irish community within the city suffered the backlash - I remember (I was a child at the time) my father and uncles and their friends meeting to discuss how to stay alive and avoid being attacked by the non-irish community. I was scared to death by the bombing and scared to death that my father would pay the price!
Following the bad publicity the IRA received for bombing their own - we all felt they would never target Birmingham again.
On Saturday night the 'real IRA' put a bomb in a car in BIrmingham City centre!!! Luckily only the detonator went off - had the bomb gone off - 40kgs - many people would have been killed or injured! We are still a city with a huge Irish community!!
Adams cannot claim innocence and distance himself from the 'real' IRA....you cannot release a virus and then change your mind and absolve yourself of all responsibility for it simply because it gets out of control!