Some RCMP may not personally apologize for handling of school protests

The RCMP say it is likely that many of the officers involved in the Saint Sauveur and Saint Simon school protests will not personally apologize for what they did to stop demonstrations.

The mounties are setting up public meetings in the two communities to apologize for their actions four years ago. But some people say the meetings are pointless unless the police involved in the confrontations attend.

The 1997 protests against school closures on the Acadian Peninsula turned ugly when riot police were called in. Residents said police used excessive force and an interim report by the body that oversees public complaints against the RCMP agreed.

The report said the RCMP should apologize to residents and police are now in the midst of setting up public meetings to do just that.

But some residents say they don't want a general apology. They want to hear from the officers involved in the incident.

Inspector Kevin Vickers says that's unlikely.

"Many of the people that were involved in the incident have now been transferred on to other places and a large number of the key people now work in Quebec," he says. "It's unlikely that we'll be able to get some of the key people that people are asking for at the meetings."

Conrad Boudreau, a resident of Saint Sauveur, says he was there when the riot police were called in. Boudreau says a public apology is pointless without the officers involved.

"It's the same as if you hit me and you send your neighbour to apologize," he says. "With me you know it's the same thing."

Boudreau says he's not sure he'll even attend the meeting unless the officers named in the interim report show up.

Inspector Vickers says the RCMP can locate some of the those officers, but he can't guarantee they'll attend the public meetings.