Hume family wishes 'not respected' by new Londonderry museum – as the DUP say project 'appears partisan'

Gregory Campbell says the Peacemakers Museum seems to fail utterly in telling the true story of peace-making since 1972, including who the main perpetrators of violence and who stood against them.

The DUP MP also says it doesn’t address the mass exodus of unionists from Londonderry’s West Bank, where the museum is located.

The project is run by the Gasyard Trust – and the museum’s signage says that it followed the ‘Principles for Remembering in a Public Space’. They were developed by the Community Relations Council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund – and require projects to “understand that different perceptions and interpretations exist”.

The project has received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Stormont and the local council.

Mr Campbell said it is important “that a fair and balanced account of the experiences of all those affected is told”. He added: “Every community has a right for its story to be told, but the question to be asked of this museum is how inaccurate will that distortion of the reality actually be.“Murder and terror began as the IRA set about their campaign of violence. Regrettably this museum appears to be partisan and tells a partial story not based on reality.“The true peacemakers, the police officers, soldiers etc who held the line against terror do not appear to feature even though they were the real peacemakers. A museum offering a warped view of those who made peace will not contribute to a genuinely shared future.”

An SDLP spokesperson said It is unacceptable that the wishes of the Hume family were “not respected by those involved in the development of this project. Their explicit objections were founded in the narrow ethos and focus of the project which has expunged the diverse narratives and experiences that John sought to bring together in peace”.

The BBC has reported that the museum’s project manager, Michael Cooper, said they engaged with the Hume family “from the beginning” – and had asked them to be involved with a content steering group, but the family did not take up that offer.