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| Maze peace centre: RUC widows call for halt to 'shrine' | Maze peace centre: RUC widows call for halt to 'shrine' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The RUC George Cross Widows Association has called for halt to plans to build a peace and reconciliation centre at the site of the former Maze prison. | The RUC George Cross Widows Association has called for halt to plans to build a peace and reconciliation centre at the site of the former Maze prison. |
| They addressed their plea to Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson. | They addressed their plea to Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson. |
| The jail housed paramilitary prisoners and unionists have expressed fears it could become a shrine to terrorists. | The jail housed paramilitary prisoners and unionists have expressed fears it could become a shrine to terrorists. |
| Danna Cochrane from the association said widows oppose the site because they feel it would be "glorifying people who took RUC men's lives". | Danna Cochrane from the association said widows oppose the site because they feel it would be "glorifying people who took RUC men's lives". |
| Speaking on the BBC's The View programme, Ms Cochrane said it was difficult to get middle ground on the issue, "especially on a site like the Maze which is controversial in itself". | Speaking on the BBC's The View programme, Ms Cochrane said it was difficult to get middle ground on the issue, "especially on a site like the Maze which is controversial in itself". |
| Meanwhile, opponents of the peace centre including representatives from the Ulster Unionists, the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) and United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) staged a public rally at an Orange Hall in Lisburn on Thursday evening. | |
| The parties described it as an "opportunity for ordinary people to demonstrate their opposition to the DUP/Sinn Fein plans for the Maze". | The parties described it as an "opportunity for ordinary people to demonstrate their opposition to the DUP/Sinn Fein plans for the Maze". |
| There have been years of controversy over the scheme to redevelop the former prison site, which housed convicted paramilitaries from 1971 to 2000. | There have been years of controversy over the scheme to redevelop the former prison site, which housed convicted paramilitaries from 1971 to 2000. |
| Ten inmates died on hunger strike in the Maze in 1981, as part of a campaign by republicans to secure political prisoner status. | Ten inmates died on hunger strike in the Maze in 1981, as part of a campaign by republicans to secure political prisoner status. |
| The prison hospital, where many of the hunger strikers died, was among parts of the jail that were retained when the site was cleared for redevelopment. | The prison hospital, where many of the hunger strikers died, was among parts of the jail that were retained when the site was cleared for redevelopment. |
| A watch tower and one H Block have also been retained. | A watch tower and one H Block have also been retained. |
| Planning permission for the new peace centre, close to the retained structures, was granted in April. | Planning permission for the new peace centre, close to the retained structures, was granted in April. |
| It has been designed by the Polish American architect Daniel Libeskind, who is renowned for his involvement in the plan for building on the site of New York's Ground Zero. | It has been designed by the Polish American architect Daniel Libeskind, who is renowned for his involvement in the plan for building on the site of New York's Ground Zero. |
| Mr Robinson has previously rejected claims that the centre would become a shrine to terrorism, while Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness said it would be a "shrine to peace". | Mr Robinson has previously rejected claims that the centre would become a shrine to terrorism, while Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness said it would be a "shrine to peace". |
| The View will be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland at 22:35 BST. | The View will be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland at 22:35 BST. |