Ciaron O'Reilly

Ciaron O'Reilly (born 1960) is an Australian social justice and anti-war campaigner, peace protester, and Catholic Worker, having, as the book Christian Anarchism put it: "engaged in ... protests, acts of civil disobedience and trials in England, Ireland, and his native Australia".^: 33 O'Reilly has become one of the most visible exponents of Christian anarchism, both active in its practice and the theoretical exploration of its ideas. As the writer Alexandre Christoyannopoulos quotes him as arguing, O'Reilly contends that Christian anarchism "'is not an attempt to synthesise two systems of thought' that are hopelessly incompatible, but rather 'a realisation that the premise of anarchism is inherent in Christianity and the message of the Gospels'."^: 1

O'Reilly participated in anti-war disarming actions against US military aircraft in 1991 and 2003 for which he was criminally prosecuted, serving a prison sentence for the first incident. The legal case arising from the 2003 group action, known as the Pitstop Ploughshares, resulted, after three trials in Ireland, in a landmark acquittal. Following the case, he remained involved in peace activism in the United Kingdom and Australia.