Children hit with Plastic Bullets in Belfast on Saturday night

16 year old plastic bullet victim in hospital 

Statement by Jim McCabe of Relatives for Justice and the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets

“On Saturday evening PSNI members shot a number of plastic bullets in the Broadway area of West Belfast. One of those bullets hit a 16 year old from the Clonard area, he is currently in the Royal Victoria Hospital.  

“As representatives of those bereaved and injured as a result of plastic and rubber bullets both Relatives for Justice and the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets have consistently argued that plastic bullets have no place in our society and that the inevitable result of their use is critical injury and death.  

“Again and again we have been assured by chief and assistant chief constables and secretaries of state that plastic bullets will not be used in riot or civic disturbance situation. But yet again we see that as soon as a disturbance emerges they are the PSNI’s  weapon of first resort – just as they were last year in Ardoyne.

“This is wholly unacceptable in any society with purports to promote human rights based policing. Plastic bullets are incompatible with the very notion of human rights, they must be removed immediately from the armoury before this summer with all of its tensions continues.  

“We are calling on the Chief Constable and the Minster for Justice to pay heed to this dire situation, and immediately withdraw plastic bullets.

“This family is now in the thoughts and prayers of all victims of plastic bullets, those bereaved and injured who know exactly what they are going through and had hoped that these days were over.”  

Editors Note:     Jim McCabe is the widower of Nora McCabe a West Belfast mother of 3 killed by an RUC plastic bullet in July 1981.