No Welcome For War Profiteers
Dozens of anti-war activists gathered in west Belfast on Thursday morning to show their contempt for a man whose company is making obscene profits in occupied Iraq.
David Horgan, the managing director of Petrel Resources, was invited to speak in Andersonstown by the West Belfast & Greater Shankill Enterprise Council on the theme of “Baghdad to Belfast, my business journey”.
Petrel Resources, an oil exploitation company based between Ireland and Britain, are currently operating in southern Iraq, in addition to claiming the rights to explore the potentially lucrative Western Desert area.
Although Petrel Resources originally brokered a deal with Saddam Hussein’s dictatorial government, the company’s share value has shot up by 400 per cent as a result of the US-British led invasion of 2003.
The recent financial success of Petrel Resources and companies like it is down to the pro-private corporation legislation implemented by the puppet regime in Baghdad since the start of the occupation. The Iraqi Oil Law and the Product-Sharing Agreements have banned the public ownership of natural resources and provided massive monetary incentives for oil companies.
One of the leading Irish proponents of the war against the Iraqi people, Fianna Fáil minister Willie O’Dea, was on the board of Petrel Resources until 2005.
For his part, David Horgan has been completely honest about his reasons for being in Iraq and what he hopes to get out of the country’s suffering.
In a 2004 interview, the oil baron admitted he was in Iraq “for greed and glory”, while in a more recent interview on the Al Jazeera TV station he advised against “crying over spilt blood”.
The people of west Belfast who came out to protest on Thursday had a different take on the estimated one million deaths caused by the imperialist aggression, and made their feelings known to those who would take business tips from a capitalist devoid of morals.
The anti-war activists denied Horgan the opportunity to glorify his exploits despite the intervention of the RUC-PSNI, who unsuccessfully demanded the personal details of the protest organisers.
Éirígí’s Pádraig Ó Meiscill expressed his support for the protestors.
“David Horgan and Petrel Resources are proof positive that the war against Iraq was, and is, about the theft of that country’s oil. Millions of Iraqis have to go without basics such as electricity, sanitation and proper healthcare. Yet glorified thieves like Petrel Resources are preparing to funnel the wealth of a nation into their private bank accounts.”
Pádraig continued, “The occupation of Iraq doesn’t just consist of the thousands of US and British troops and the private security companies who are terrorising the population with brutality and violence.
“Just as integral to this occupation are the oil firms and multinationals that are making massive profits from the daily diet of misery, oppression and poverty which has become the lot of the Iraqi people.
“The anti-war activists of west Belfast deserve credit for recognising this fact and acting accordingly.”