Twelve year-old held by RUC
The RUC arrested a 12-year-old boy and his uncle on Saturday 4 December 1999, after three Downpatrick republicans held an anti-RUC protest on the rooftop of the local barracks.
Downpatrick Sinn Féin chairperson Garret O'Fachtna said afterwards: ``Saturday's peaceful protest left no one in any doubt that a repackaged RUC is unacceptable.
``As one of those who took part in the rooftop protest, I was verbally abused and physically assaulted by the RUC. When the young boy was arrested he was forced into the back of an RUC squad car and told that he `would be eating his dinner in a home tonight'. While in RUC custody the boy was prevented from seeing his father, and his uncle was arrested and unlawfully imprisoned for almost one hour.''
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