`RUC Watch' launched
by Laura Friel
Sinn Fein has launched an `RUC WATCH' initiative. Six County
chairperson Fra McCann said the initiative was set to monitor,
record and take appropriate political action ``challenging RUC
violations against the nationalist community''.
In a bid to influence the Patten Commission, the RUC is engaged
in a highly political, high profile charm offensive across the
Six Counties, said McCann, while largely unreported actions by
the RUC which constitute gross human rights violations against
nationalists are occurring daily.
``The RUC Watch initiative is your opportunity to place on record
the facts about the RUC,'' said McCann.
The initiative comes at a time when the British government is
under increasing pressure to disband the RUC. Scrutiny of the
British government's record of human rights violations by the
United Nations Committee Against Torture last week focused
heavily upon the actions of the RUC. At the hearing the British
were questioned about RUC brutality during interrogations,
specifically the case of Davy Adams, the number of deaths in RUC
custody, the lack of safeguards during interrogation at RUC
centres like Castlereagh, human rights violations arising out of
the use of emergency legislation and the deployment of plastic
bullets. At the very core of the United Nations' criticism is the
RUC.
``This UN report, like scores of others by Human Rights agencies
over the past 30 years, has condemned the behaviour of the RUC,
as well as the approach of the British government to the use of
torture and of plastic bullets,'' said Gerry Adams. ``It is further
evidence of the logic of Sinn Fein's demand that the RUC be
disbanded.''
Clare Reilly of the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets
commenting on the UN report, reiterated the call to disband the
RUC. Describing the deaths and injuries inflicted by the use of
plastic bullets as ``the reality of lethal weapons in the hands of
a sectarian force,'' the UCAPB spokesperson said, ``the RUC must be
disbanded, plastic bullets withdrawn and a new unarmed police
service established which reflects the makeup of the entire
community.''
In the last six months, since the signing of the Good Friday
Document An Phoblacht has reported over 300 incidents within the
nationalist community in which the RUC has been guilty of
violating basic human rights. These violations have included
almost 50 incidents of harassment against peaceful demonstrators,
with a further four full scale orchestrated attacks on peaceful
protests, over 70 incidents of harassment, intimidation and
assault, over 30 serious injuries, including eight plastic bullet
injuries, 16 cases where the RUC failed to intervene during
sectarian attacks, 36 of intimidation during recruitment
approaches, over 30 house raids and 70 arbitrary arrests.
``This represents the tip of the iceberg,'' says Fra McCann. ``In
the past nationalist communities have survived by absorbing
rather than highlighting harassment by the RUC which occurs on a
daily basis throughout all aspects of people's lives, at work, at
home, on the way to school, during peaceful protests. If the
hopes of the Irish people engendered by the Good Friday Agreement
are to be realised, the actions of the RUC must be placed on
public record. I would urge everyone whose rights are violated by
the RUC to contact Sinn Fein's `RUC WATCH' initiative to register
their complaint.''
Incidents involving the RUC can be placed on record by
contacting Belfast 326644 or telephoning An Phoblacht at Belfast
600279.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)