View, January 2012


Page 13 TO BAgHDAD ... the ‘peace walls’ and asks will they ever come down?


Belfast City Council unanimously agreed to adopt a strategy and action plan to address issues sur- rounding interfaces in Belfast.” He points to the recent opening of peace gates


at Northumberland Street and Alexandra Park as positive developments His PhD research also showed that the walls are interpreted very differently depending on which


community you speak to. Mr Byrne said: “For both loyalist and republican


communities the discussion is more than about bricks and mortar and whether walls should re- main or be removed. A major concern for Loyal- ists are issues that relate to their history, identity and culture and for republicans this is about ad- dressing housing demand and being able to re-


spond to the needs of an expanding population. “There is no doubting the complexities that sur-


round the issue of ‘peace walls’. On one hand they are a constant reminder of the past, which appeal to the increasing number of tourists that visit the city, yet on the other hand they illustrate the dis- tance people have to travel if we are to embrace the vision of a shared society.”


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