| Warning issued over Maze rubble on
internet auction RUBBLE supposedly from the demolition of the
North of Ireland’s most notorious prison the Maze is being sold
on internet auction site eBay.
A Belfast-based seller claims that the rubble is specifically from H-block
4 where the Republican hunger strike prisoners where held.
In his eBay sales pitch he refers to the five 5kg pieces of rubble he
has for sale as: “An absolute gem of memorabilia for anyone with
an interest in the Northern Ireland Troubles and especially the Republican
hunger strikers.”
They are offered for sale worldwide the British listing has a starting
price of £1 and an American listing of $5.
But the demolition of the Maze is still taking place and its H-blocks
currently remain intact.
A spokesman for the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister said:
“This office is aware that a number of artefacts purported to be
from the former Maze/Long Kesh site have been offered for sale on the
internet auction site eBay.
“Purchasers should be aware that in many cases it is impossible
to authenticate these artefacts and no individual has been given permission
to remove anything from the site.”
Prisoners convicted of terrorist offences after March 1, 1976 were housed
in the eight new H-Blocks that had been constructed at the site, also
known as Long Kesh.
The hunger strike which would eventually see 10 Republican prisoners die
began on March 1, 1981.
They demanded a return to “special status” which included
the right to wear their own clothes, the right not to carry out prison
work and the right to associate freely with other Republican inmates.
Bobby Sands a 27-year-old who had served four years of a 14-year sentence
for possessing firearms began refusing food.
He was joined on March 15 by fellow IRA Maze inmate Francis Hughes, while
a week later, IRA man Raymond McCreesh and INLA prisoners’ leader
Patsy O’Hara also joined. |
