Despite stories to the contrary, New York’s St Patrick’s Day parade organizers have not withdrawn an invitation to members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to march in the Manhattan parade.
They are expected to issue a statement to that effect later today Irish Central has learned.
The organizers had issued the historic invitation to six members of the PSNI, inviting them to march alongside members of the Irish police force.
But the parade committee came under sustained attack on Thursday and Friday from dissident groups in Ireland and America who mounted a major social media campaign as well as phone calls seeking to prevent the PSNI from marching.
A senior source told Irish Central that the parade committee did “suffer a case of jitters” regarding the invitation and the concerted drive to have the invite withdrawn but have now made it clear that the invite stands.
The PSNI is the reformed Northern Ireland police force created after the Good Friday Agreement and they have attracted large nationalists numbers to their ranks. Despite that, dissidents portray them as similar to the old  RUC which 
was overwhelmingly unionist. 
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and senior Irish government figure are said to have made it clear to parade organizers that the PSNI invite was the right thing to do.
Gerry Adams †@GerryAdamsSF  10h
If NY St Patricks Day Parade Committee have withdrawn an invite 2 PSNI then that is a mistake which needs rectified.
Meanwhile an attempt to kill a PSNI officer in Belfast failed when the bomb was discovered after it fell off the underside of a car. Dissidents were believed responsible.
Terry Spence of the Police Federation stated:
“It is clear that the blood lust of these people and the hatred shows no bounds, and they will stop at nothing.
"We are determined they will not succeed, but the reality is they are ruthless. That device fell off the underside of a car.
"If a child or an adult had picked it up this morning they could have been killed.
"That is the ruthlessness dissidents continue to show."

Despite stories to the contrary, New York’s St Patrick’s Day parade organizers have not withdrawn an invitation to members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to march in the Manhattan parade.

They are expected to issue a statement to that effect later today Irish Central has learned.

The organizers had issued the historic invitation to six members of the PSNI, inviting them to march alongside members of the Irish police force.

But the parade committee came under sustained attack on Thursday and Friday from dissident groups in Ireland and America who mounted a major social media campaign as well as phone calls seeking to prevent the PSNI from marching.

A senior source told Irish Central that the parade committee did “suffer a case of jitters” regarding the invitation and the concerted drive to have the invite withdrawn but have now made it clear that the invite stands.

The PSNI is the reformed Northern Ireland police force created after the Good Friday agreement and they have attracted large nationalists numbers to their ranks. Despite that, dissidents portray them as similar to the old RUC which was overwhelmingly unionist. 

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and senior Irish government figure are said to have made it clear to parade organizers that the PSNI invite was the right thing to do. Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein's First Deputy Prime Minister, also tweeted support for PSNI marching.

Gerry Adams ‏@GerryAdamsSF  10h

 If NY St Patricks Day Parade Committee have withdrawn an invite 2 PSNI then that is a mistake which needs rectified.

 12h

Strongly of the view the PSNI marching alongside their Garda colleagues in N/Y will be welcomed by all those who support Peace in Ireland.

Meanwhile an attempt to kill a PSNI officer in Belfast failed when the bomb was discovered after it fell off the underside of a car. Dissidents were believed responsible.

Terry Spence of the Police Federation stated:
“It is clear that the blood lust of these people and the hatred shows no bounds, and they will stop at nothing.

"We are determined they will not succeed, but the reality is they are ruthless. That device fell off the underside of a car.

"If a child or an adult had picked it up this morning they could have been killed.

"That is the ruthlessness dissidents continue to show."

Related: St. Patrick's Day