A Londonderry priest is to meet supporters of dissident republicans who claim their families are the victims of a "systematic campaign of abuse" by the PSNI.
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Fr Paddy O'Kane, from Ballymagroarty, challenged dissident gunmen to stop their campaign of violence in a local newspaper, in the wake of the bomb attack on the city's Strand Road police station in August.
Fr O'Kane has now agreed to the meeting with dissident supporters later this week following talks with the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, which is linked to the Real IRA.
Member Gary Donnelly claims the PSNI is currently involved in a "systematic campaign of abuse of non-combatants, particularly young children and pensioners, the parents of people who they would see as republican activists."
"There are dozens of them that I would know personally who have contacted their solicitors, have gone to the Ombudsman and have reached the same position - they've hit a brick wall", he told UTV.
"I would hope that the people who are at the end of this abuse are given a voice".
Fr O'Kane says he has a pastoral duty to listen to their concerns after they approached him for an audience.
"I'm not saying that these allegations are true", the parish priest of Moville told UTV.
"All I'm saying is that I'm trying to listen and it's up to the politicians if they want to carry this forward.
"I have no intention of becoming a politician. I have enough to do as a priest".
Fr O'Kane said political representatives should be concerned over the allegations.
"I would ask the politicians, if there is any credibility in these stories, they should be concerned. All of us should be concerned because what's going to happen is we're going to spun another generation of embitter young people if they're being abused and we're going to have the circle of violence continuing for long into the future," he told UTV.
DUP East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell said the meeting should not "translate into some form of dialogue."
"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."
SDLP Foyle MP Mark Durkan said he accepted that, as a pastor, Fr O'Kane's door needed to always be open.
"Fr Paddy is leaving himself open to whatever judgement people want to make on him but he is also honestly reflecting what is going on. He is not doing this secretly and he is also making it clear that there are absolute limits to what he is doing," he said.
Mr Durkan added: "I have been contacted by families whose members have been the subject of attention by the police for instance and they have expressed their concerns. In turn, I have made representations to the police on behalf of the families and as an elected representative my door is open."
The 32 County Sovereignty Movement is seen as the political wing of the Real IRA, which has admitted responsibility for 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 dissident threat since 1998.
© UTV News