Anger erupts over EU Maze cash
General view of the Maze Prison / Long Kesh front gates. Picture: Diane Magill
UNIONIST politicians and victims of IRA atrocities have reacted angrily to the revelation that £18m of European funding has been approved for a conflict resolution centre at the Maze.
It has been claimed that the multi-million pound investment will come out of a PEACE III pot of funding for Northern Ireland.
It was reported last night that the centre is set to be confirmed in the coming weeks as part of a £300m redevelopment of the 350-acre site near Lisburn.
TUV leader Jim Allister blasted the decision as a “Provo victory”.
“If a conflict transformation centre is thought to be necessary, why does it have to be at the Maze?
“Clearly, because the intent is to allow the incorporated prison buildings to facilitate the terror fest aspect of this
Provo project. Thereby, the entire site will be blighted.”
The former DUP MEP added: “While frontline services are being slashed, including A and E departments, it is full steam ahead with the ‘Maze Shrine’ project, whose funding was ring-fenced in the DUP/Sinn Fein budget while everything else was cut, and now it is the priority for scarce eU resources.”
Conservative and Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson described the funding approval as disappointing.
“This funding is not new money but rather a large proportion of the pot of PEACE III funding already allocated to
Northern Ireland and this £18 million could have been used for numerous deserving projects across the Province,” he said.
Mr Nicholson said many groups representing innocent victims of the Troubles had raised concerns over the project, “both in terms of the politically charged nature of the site and the level of funding that would be diverted from other projects”.
He added: “I find myself wondering how much these groups were consultedby OFMDFM throughout this process?”
Kenny Donaldson, from the victims group South East Fermanagh Foundation, expressed his anger at the major cash
boost for the Maze project.
“This will cause great disappointment and anger for all those who lost loved ones at the hands of terrorists,” he said.
“I have not spoken to a single victim who has been in support of this conflict centre. There is also concern that this money could have been used to help the many victims groups around Northern Ireland, instead of going towards some
kind of terrorist shrine.”
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
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