Ballymagroarty based Fr Paddy O'Kane, who made world headlines in 2010 when he offered to meet with dissident Republicans in an effort to stop violence in the city, made his comments after two hoax devices were left in his parish causing massive disruption last weekend.
Army technical officers carried out a controlled explosion on the two devices that Fr O’Kane said caused massive disruption in the area.
However police came under attack from a sustained bout of stone throwing during the incident.
Nobody was injured during the attack a 23-year-old male was later arrested.
Speaking about the incident, Fr O'Kane said that some residents were blocked from returning to their homes for a number of hours because of the incident.
“There is anger but it is also directed at those people who planted the devices. Local people are against such actions, which bring disruption and unnecessary suffering to the community. It's the community which is being terrorised by these people, it's our own people who are being hurt.”
Fr O'Kane also said that he believes that the incident was orchestrated to allow for an attack on the PSNI officers.
“It's worrying for many people that there is a wider agenda here, namely that there is a campaign to give Derry a bad image in light of the city of culture year. Are they asking that these incidents give Derry the name of the ‘City of Violence’?”
Fr O'Kane's views have been echoed by local Sinn Fein Councillor Eric McGinley who said, “Those who left those devices in Ballymagroarty on Saturday night had nothing to offer the people of the area. This is another senseless action and whoever is behind it needs to explain their rationale to the community.”