NI Conservatives’ co-chair, Trevor Ringland, has urged the executive to find an alternative venue for a ‘peace and reconciliation centre’, after DUP leader, Peter Robinson, announced his party will stall plans to build one at the former Maze Prison site.
“The Maze was a divisive location for a number of reasons and we opposed it”, Trevor said. “The existing plans were causing a great deal of concern among victims of illegal paramilitaries and there were justified anxieties that choosing the site could have sent out a troubling signal about our attitude to political violence in our past.”
“However there is a degree of consensus that the idea of a peace and reconciliation centre, where we can reflect on the mistakes which caused our troubled history and look to build a better, more harmonious society, is a good one. We should now look to agree a fitting venue, where a thorough, thoughtful account of the Troubles can be presented, without the baggage associated with the Maze.”
“It is right that we concentrate on building peace, it is right that we reflect upon our past and it is right that we look to build tourism and prosperity. There should be a peace and reconciliation centre, but it should not be built where it causes hurt and division.”