Orgreave campaigners tell Home Secretary they will '˜not give up' as they march on Westminster

Campaigners pressing for an independent inquiry into the clash between picketers and police officers at Orgreave have declared they will '˜not give up', as they descended on Westminster to challenge Amber Rudd's decision to rule out a review.
Home Secretary Amber RuddHome Secretary Amber Rudd
Home Secretary Amber Rudd

Last year, activists expressed outrage after the Home Secretary confirmed she would not instigate a review of the 1984 incident, despite reports of “excessive force” and wrongful arrests by police.

At the time, campaigners said they were “furious”, but claimed the decision made them “more determined than ever” to get justice for the miners whose lives were affected by the event.

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And they made this clear as they marched on the Home Office yesterday to demand “the truth we all need and deserve”.

The Hillsborough campaigner Sheila Coleman was among a raft of speakers at the lively demonstration, which was dominated by drummers and samba bands. She told the Yorkshire Post it was important for the groups to “stand together” and “keep chipping away” until the Government “caves in”.

“Successive governments said to us for years they wouldn’t do anything... but we didn’t go away and we proved in 2012 that there had been a cover up,” she said.

“So message is a very clear one: you don’t give up until justice had been achieved, because that’s the only we move forward into a fairer and more egalitarian society.”

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Other speakers at the march included the Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott and Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon. Ms Abbott accused the Government of “stonewalling” and told protestors Labour “fully supports the demand for justice”.

“Labour has consistently argued you can’t understand what happened at Hillsborough unless you get to the bottom of Orgreave,” she said. “The truth must be told, but the Tories are refusing to hold a proper inquiry.”

Commenting on the protest, a Home Office spokesman said: “The decision that there will no inquiry into the events at Orgreave was made after careful consideration of the key purposes of an inquiry and, critically, taking into account how the policing landscape has changed.”