“The Tory Government’s attempts to sweep malicious and dangerous government and police conduct under the carpet will not make it go away. It is a serious threat to our already declining democracy”
By Kate Flannery, the Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign
Thousands of supporters of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) are demanding an inquiry to put an end to years of lies and cover-ups by the Conservative government about the political role they played in orchestrating and managing the pit closure programme in the 1980’s, directing militaristic police operations in an industrial dispute and manipulating the courts and media to manufacture a false narrative to demonise and criminalise workers fighting for their jobs and communities.
Kevin Horne, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign activist and ex-miner arrested at Orgreave said:
“We were only striking for the right to work. Pardons by the Scottish government for Scottish miners arrested during the 84/5 miners’ strike, continuing anger in ex mining communities, papers from the time of the strike embargoed from public release until at least 2066 and growing numbers who support this campaign for truth and justice, show it is in the public interest to hold an Orgreave inquiry to have a full and authoritative review of what happened and why we were treated so badly.”
The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign submitted detailed information and compelling evidence to the Home Office about why an inquiry should take place into the state sanctioned police riot at Orgreave on 18th June 1984. Striking miners were violently assaulted, 95 miners were arrested to be later acquitted by the court due to police lies and fabricated evidence.
Kate Flannery, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign Secretary said:
“Our powerful and detailed evidence seems to have been ignored by the Home Office and after giving the OTJC false hope, any kind of Orgreave inquiry was categorically ruled out. No one in Government or the police has ever been held to account for what the government directed and the police did. The Tory Government’s attempts to sweep malicious and dangerous government and police conduct under the carpet will not make it go away. It is a serious threat to our already declining democracy”
Led by the Unite Brass Band, on Saturday 17th June 2023 the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign will be holding our Anniversary march and rally at the City Hall, Barkers Pool, Sheffield. We will march to Devonshire Green and hear an impressive lineup of speakers support our call for truth and justice.
John Dunn, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign activist and ex miner assaulted by police and arrested during the strike said:
“The right to protest and the right to strike should not be a gift from the state, it should be our right! It is what we should expect in a democracy. The Tories are clearly afraid that an Orgreave inquiry would further expose their scandals, corruption and attempts to stifle dissent. They have recently and very quickly organised a whole raft of draconian policing anti-strike and anti-protest legislation to criminalise us and shut us up”
- You can follow the Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
- The Orgreave annual rally takes place tomorrow (June 17th) at 1pm, assembling at City Hall, Barkers Pool, Sheffield S1 2JA. You can find out more here.
