The RUC: Dishonest - Discredited - Disband It
By Sean O'Tuama
Nationalists beaten as RUC stand idly by
The Lower Ormeau Residents Action Group have called on Unionist
and Loyalist politicians in the Donegall Pass area of Belfast to
act before attacks by loyalist mobs cause serious injury or death
to people using the Lower Ormeau Road.
Their plea comes after a number of attacks on Saturday night, 31
May by drunken loyalists on anyone they thought was a
Nationalist. The RUC were called but refused to remove the mob.
``In the most serious incident,'' said a spokesperson for LORAG,
``two young girls returning from the Limelight were chased and one
of them caught and beaten. Only for the quick actions of a member
of LORAG's staff who was monitoring the situation the young girl
could have been seriously hurt.''
Referring to the murder of a young Catholic man last year while
an RUC unit looked on, the spokesperson added, ``anyone doubting
that this is the case should remember what a similar mob did to
Robert Hamill in Portadown. In light of this we would also ask
why the RUC did not act to remove the mob from the area. Indeed
they only left, after nearly an hour, when they got fed up. There
are serious questions here for the RUC in Donegall Pass and we
await their reply with interest.''
Five year old targeted
The RUC in the Brandywell area of Derry have been harassing
children as young as five years old on a nightly basis and
shining searchlights into Nationalists homes on the estate.
Peter Anderson, the local SF councillor, has received numerous
complaints from parents.
``Unsurprisingly there has been a reaction from the Nationalist
community to this RUC aggression,'' said the councillor, referring
to the fact that police patrols have come under attack from
stone-throwers in the area, ``and some damage has been caused to
local buildings and cars. It is quite clear that the RUC is
directly responsible for creating this disorder and this force
should stay out of the Brandywell and, indeed, any area where it
is clear that they are not welcome.''
RUC says No
SF Assembly candidate Davy Hyland, a Newry councillor, has
protested about the attitude of some local RUC officers. His
campaign manager for the forthcoming Assembly election was
stopped and harassed in Newry by an RUC man wearing a Union Jack
heart badge on his tie. These badges were launched by the DUP as
part of their `No' campaign for the referendum. The RUC man's
attitude was aggressive and arrogant, Hyland said.
When the RUC man was challenged about the badge he returned to
his patrol car and removed it, subsequently denying any knowledge
of it.
RUC attacks in Derry
A Nationalist home in the Galliagh area of Derry was subjected to
one of the most aggressive raids by the RUC in the last few years
on Thursday 28 May.
The operation began around 9pm and involved four jeeps and a red
van. It was carried out by plainclothes RUC as well as masked RUC
men who sledgehammered in the front door of the house and smashed
all of the front windows.
angry crowd of local residents gathered after the daughter of
the house managed to escape through a window and told of how
everyone in the house, including herself and her mother, had been
strip searched.
Two men were arrested in the house in connection with a small
amount of cannabis, described as being of a quantity used for
personal use.
The owner of the house said he was disgusted at the manner of the
raid, ``if someone knocks at my door I will open it to them but
they didn't even try and knock they just smashed their way in.''
Gerry O'hEara, the local SF councillor, who was present for most
of the raid condemned the behaviour of the RUC saying, ``there are
absolutely no circumstances that would justify this sort of
activity and this is clearly an attempt by the RUC to provoke
local people. Once again they have shown why they will always be
unacceptable to the nationalist people.''
Local youths stoned the RUC convoy as it left the area after the
raid.
RUC harass SFY
Three members of Sinn Fein Youth are being harassed by the RUC
for participating in a peaceful anti-sectarianism rally in North
Belfast on 7 February.
The rally, organised by young people in the area, entitled Youth
Against Sectarian Killings, was held after the murder of
Nationalists across the North at the start of the year. Speakers
included representatives of SFY and the SDLP.
A similar march and rally in West Belfast was prevented by the
RUC on the same day.
Last week the RUC officially cautioned three SFY members but not
anyone else who attended the rally.
Eoin O'Broin, SFY National organiser, said the RUC are ``singling
us out'' and that the police are ``obviously using this march,
which did not pass through any contentious areas, to harass Sinn
Fein Youth.''
There are currently fifteen court cases, North and South, pending
against SFY activists.
The RUC - at a school near you soon?
Derry SF councillor Gerry O hEara has received a number of
complaints from concerned parents after a visit to their local
primary school by the RUC without their knowledge.
Several parents have condemned the school authorities, including
the Principal Harvinder Torney, who gave the RUC access to the
Green Haw primary school in the Pennyburn area of Derry.
``Parents of many of the children who attend this school,'' said O
hEara, ``have consistently argued that if school insist on
inviting this force then the children's parents must be informed
beforehand. The RUC attempt to portray themselves as acceptable
to the nationalist community, yet many of these children's
parents have for years been the victims of the RUC and have
encountered brutality and harassment at their hands.'' He went on
to warn that the police were using such visits to gather
information on the children's parents.
After a meeting with SF councillor Tony Hassan on Wednesday, 27
May, Mrs Torney said that in light of parents' concerns she would
``suspend contact'' with the RUC. She went on to apologise for not
informing parents before the police visit saying it was ``an
oversight'' and that ``the education and safety of our children
remains paramount.''
RUC still touting for touts
A Derry man, who wishes not to be named, has contacted his
solicitor to complain after the RUC attempted to intimidate him
into becoming an informer.
This follows an incident in Shantallow RUC Station on Wednesday,
29 May, where the man had gone in connection with a minor
motoring offence.
He had been asked to bring his driving documents with him but
when he explained that he did not have them because he had only
just purchased the car an RUC man questioning him said that the
courts would be hard on him. The RUC man then said that if he
helped them the RUC would help him. The man immediately refused
the offer. But as he was leaving the barracks the same RUC man
approached him and said, ``you have my number if you need our
help.''
The man will be making a formal complaint about the incident.
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