Statement by TUV leader and Euro election candidate Jim Allister:
“Today is the deadline for party leaders and Euro election candidates to sign up to the “Victims Contract” – a document produced by JIVT, an umbrella organisation for 21 victims groups throughout Northern Ireland.
“I was happy to sign up to the contract at a hustings event last Thursday night and will watch with interest to see if other parties who profess to have the interests of victims at heart follow.
“The contract touches upon a number of significant European issues. For example, it calls for the European Day for Victims of Terrorism to be officially marked by the Assembly every year. Having organised and hosted events in Stormont to mark this significant date since my election as an MLA I welcome the fact that innocent victims are now campaigning for more official recognition of the date in Northern Ireland.
“Additionally, the contract calls for victims issues to be “a key part of any new PEACE IV”. This is a major issue. For far too long millions of Euros have been ploughed into ex-prisoners groups while victims have had to make do with the scraps. I repeatedly raised this issue when an MEP and I pledge to campaign hard on it in the new parliament if successful in the election.
“The biggest political issue in the contract, however, is without doubt the Maze. The contract states: “I along with my Party give an undertaking that we will not support the development of any ‘Conflict Transformation/ Peace building Centre’ or any other project associated with the ‘Troubles’ at the former Maze prison site whilst the listed buildings connected to the former prison and hospital wing remain”.
“TUV, having campaigned for many years against the Maze shrine, has no problem with this. However, I imagine that the DUP candidate, Mrs Dodds, may well have. In her full term as an MEP I am unaware of a single word from Mrs Dodds on this issue. This is exceedingly odd given that no European issue has been more debated in Northern Ireland. Remember that the centre was to be funded with European money.
“A few months ago Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness posed with shovels to announce the commencement of work at the Maze Shrine. Mrs Dodds said nothing.
“Will Mrs Dodds and her party finally admit they were wrong on the Maze shrine and take the side of innocent victims?
“Failure to endorse the contract in full will reinforce the suspicion in many quarters that the DUP plan to roll over on this issue once the elections are out of the way.
“Mrs Dodds has been silent on the Maze for too long. Now it is time for clarity.”