Priest to ‘listen’ to dissident abuse claims
A Londonderry priest is to meet supporters of dissident republicans who claim their families are being harassed by the PSNI.
Father Paddy O’Kane has already challenged gunmen over their violence.
He agreed to the meeting after talks with the 32 County Sovereignty Committee, which represents the Real IRA politically.
“People come every day with their pain, all we can do is listen,” he said.
“It is just a blotting paper exercise. Those families are innocent, whatever their (dissident republican) supporters are doing. If they are in pain, the least I can do is listen to their pain.”
He has criticised those behind the bomb attack on Strand Road police station in Derry and recent hoax bomb alerts. He said he conveyed the inhumanity of the attacks during the talks with the 32 County Sovereignty Committee.
But he said he had a pastoral duty to listen to the families’ concerns after they approached him for an audience.
“They are claiming they have complained about this (police behaviour) for some time and no-one wants to listen to them,” he added.
“I am going there simply to listen, I have no intention of entering into the political affray.”
He said it was best to appeal to people’s better natures but had raised no expectations ahead of the meeting.
The DUP’s Gregory Campbell said: “I can understand any pastoral concern but the issue I would have is this may translate into some form of dialogue which, unless it’s done with the right premise – that being those who carry out violence or propagate violence need to stop the violence before any talks begin.”
The 32 County Sovereignty Committee is linked to the Real IRA, which has claimed responsibility for a number of recent attacks in Londonderry, including the murder of Kieran Doherty in February.
In 1998 it planted the Omagh bomb which killed 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins.
Mr Campbell added: “The harassment of anybody is unacceptable. I am not getting the impression that ordinary people who are engaged in their own business and aren’t supporting violence – they aren’t giving me or any other public representative the indication that they are suffering repeated arrest and questioning from the police.
“But those who are suspected of being involved in dissident activity have to come under scrutiny from the police. In fact it would be a failure on the part of the PSNI if they didn’t.”
Police have warned they are facing the greatest threat from dissidents since 1998.
