Orgreave – vital lessons of the past
Unite welcomed Labour’s manifesto commitment to a public inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave, when 40 years ago police forces brutally assaulted striking pickets near Sheffield, writes Hajera Blagg.
The Battle of Orgreave is considered a pivotal moment in the 1984-85 miners’ strike, after which dozens of pickets were arrested on trumped up charges following the police attack.
Although charges were later dropped, the police were never held accountable. What’s more, new evidence suggests that the mass police assault may in fact have been coordinated by the then-Conservative government.
Labour’s commitment to a public inquiry in its manifesto came as the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) organised a rally in Sheffield in June.
Unite organiser Joe Rollin, who is also OTJC chair, welcomed Labour’s commitment but warned that the public inquiry must be a fully independent and effective one.
“We’ve had public inquiries before – including Hillsborough, Grenfell and many others – which have led campaigners up the hill only to let them down at the very end,” Joe told Landworker.
“Any public inquiry into Orgreave cannot follow in the steps of these. It must be a robust one, where those who have committed grave injustices are held accountable for their actions.”
Also marking the 40th anniversary is the release of a new documentary film Strike: An Uncivil War directed by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Daniel Gordon.
Filmmaker, author, and Landworker contributor Morag Livingstone, whose research was used in the documentary, urged Unite members to go see the film.
“The film has managed to balance eyewitness accounts with newly found archive footage and research very well,” she told Landworker. “Orgreave represents one of the most serious police and government power abuses in this country’s industrial and trade union history, the truth of which has never been told or acknowledged by the State. It is important that the truth is established and the film goes a long way in doing that.”
Both Morag and Joe highlighted that what happened at Orgreave 40 years ago is now more relevant than ever.
Morag said, “The ability to protest, to have our voices heard, is
generally under threat. Over decades government and police have not been held accountable - instead their powers in relation to protest have been increased. This film brings to the fore why it is important to look at the past to understand and solve the challenges we are facing today.”
Joe agreed.“Even though we’re 40 years on from Orgreave, we need to learn the lessons of the past,” he said. “Successive Tory governments have pushed through ever-more draconian anti-protest and anti-strike laws. It shows that Orgreave is not some distant event consigned to history.”
FULL LISTINGS
Full listings of UK- wide screenings of Strike: an Uncivil War can be found here.
https://tullstories.co.uk/films/ strike-an-uncivil-war/
Commitment – any enquiry must be robust 9 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2024
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