Harassment and arrests in Lurgan
Lurgan SF councillor John O'Dowd has accused the RUC of ``blatant
harassment'' over its continual arrest and detention of people who
took part in a `Nationalists Right To March' protest in Lurgan
town centre two years ago.
The peaceful protest had highlighted the refusal to allow
Nationalists in the town to march or hold any type of rally in
Lurgan town centre.
O'Dowd said, ``seven people have been jailed for up to four days
and others, who also took part in the protest, have been told
that they'll be lifted when it suits the RUC.''
Meanwhile over 50 people took part in a peaceful protest outside
Lurgan RUC barracks last Saturday to mark the 16th anniversary of
the shooting dead of six unarmed Nationalists over a six week
period in 1982 by an undercover RUC `Headquarters Mobile Support
Units' (HMSUs) headed by the present RUC Chief Constable Ronnie
Flanagan.
In calling for a reopening of an international inquiry, O'Dowd
said: ``Ronnie Flanagan was directly in charge of the HMSUs that
shot and killed six unarmed men in this area in 1982. Does anyone
truly believe he wants the truth to come out about those cases?''
Following the six RUC murders the Stalker inquiry into the
`shoot-to-kill' policy being operated by the RUC was launched but
subsequently collapsed under the weight of a smear campaign
directed at John Stalker.
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