H Block Prison Cell, Long Kesh Prison (HMP Maze), County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Prisoners convicted of terrorist offences after March 1st 1976 were housed in the now infamous H blocks. Republican prisoners began protesting for political status and refused to wear uniforms. Instead they wrapped themselves in blankets and sheets. This became known as the Blanket Protest and by 1978, more than 300 men had joined the protest.