A police officer in Thunder Bay, Ontario, was found not guilty of assaulting a Native boy.

Steven Oster, 43, was accused of hitting the boy at a youth hockey tournament in January 2013. The boy was 12 at the time.

The judge criticized Oster for acting rudely. But the judge said the officer's conduct did not rise to assault, a decision criticized by the boy's father.

"That's what it boils down to is racism, right down racism," the father told CBC News. "Aboriginals against Western society again. History repeats itself. It's always Aboriginals fighting for their rights and never recognized."

Get the Story:
First Nations family fears police retaliation (CBC 5/9)
Thunder Bay Police officer found not guilty of assault (CBC 5/7)
Police officer found not guilty of assaulting 12-year-old (tbnewswatch.com 5/7)