Sinn Féin activists will engage in a "peaceful and dignified" protest against new policing arrangements when a local board meets in Strabane tomorrow, party chairman Mr Mitchel McLaughlin said today.
Following a spate of death threats and attacks on Catholic members of the district policing partnerships, Mr McLaughlin said there was "no question" that the party would call off a protest scheduled for tomorrow night.
The former Foyle MLA also insisted that dissident hard-line republicans were behind the threats. "It will be a very peaceful, dignified, legitimate and reasonable protest," he said.
"That I think will do away with all the spurious propaganda about Sinn Féin in some way as a result of its disagreement on policing being responsible for the violent actions of people who are more opposed to us than they are to unionists, who are more opposed to us than they are to the British.
"We have no responsibility for their stupidity and we appeal to them to get into the programme, to get behind the peace process and abandon their actions."
Sinn Féin leaders have denied claims that mainstream republicans were behind the threats against members of the district policing partnership in Cookstown in Co Tyrone. PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde claimed members of the Provisional IRA were involved in the Cookstown threats.
The "Real IRA", the dissident organisation behind the Omagh bomb, has been blamed for other threats which have resulted in the resignation of three DPP members.
Sinn Féin, unlike the SDLP, has refused to endorse the new police service and take its seats on the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the local district partnerships.
PA