THE Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) is delighted to be attending the Durham Miners’ Gala again this year. It is a fantastic celebration of mining communities and a great day for reaffirming the significance of solidarity and dedication to class struggle.
 
This 40th anniversary year of the miners’ strike has given us all another opportunity to remember and reflect on the importance of that great National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) strike and to celebrate the incredible strength of resistance and comradery.

Miners striking to defend an industry, jobs, trade unions and communities were fighting for all our futures. We will be forever in their debt for their commitment to that year-long struggle that changed all our lives forever.
 
As we celebrate, so too do we continue to campaign against the injustices meted out against workers by the state. It is so important that we establish the truth through an Orgreave inquiry so that the 1980s Conservative government and subsequent governments are held to account for their actions at Orgreave on June 18 1984 and their political role in orchestrating and managing the pit closure programme and directing militaristic police operations throughout the strike.

June 18 is particularly significant because it will help us to reveal what was going on throughout Britain every day of the year-long strike and expose the state-planned and state-sanctioned police violence used against strikers.
 
On June 18 2024 the OTJC delivered our most recent report to the Home Office and major political parties. The report is a comprehensive piece of work and you can read it on our website. It highlights what happened at Orgreave and why the case for an inquiry is incontrovertible and in the public interest.

Orgreave constitutes one of the most serious abuses of police and state power in our trade union history which has never been acknowledged by the Conservatives and the state.

Miners picketing at the Orgreave coking plant need an inquiry to achieve justice for the miners who were seriously assaulted and abused by the police and the 95 miners who were wrongly accused of unlawful assembly and riot by police who behaved with impunity and perjured themselves in court.

It is in the interest of any democracy to examine why government and police lies and cover-ups have been allowed to continue for so long and the role the media and judiciary have played in that. Many miners have died since the strike and many are elderly and ill. It is in all our interests for justice not to be denied and delayed any longer.
 
Our report shows that although the government maintained to Parliament and the public that it was not involved in the miners’ strike, it micromanaged the strike and lied to Parliament and the public.

National Archive files reveal that prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s involvement in the miners’ strike alone could be enough for an Orgreave inquiry. Police and government files which have been held back until at least 2066 and the Conservative government’s refusal in 2016 to hold any kind of inquiry, imply that its government and the state have much to hide.

We also know that media outlets such as the BBC have unseen raw footage that captured the real story of what happened at Orgreave and they must make that available to the public and any inquiry.
 
The Labour Party’s most recent manifesto pledge about Orgreave is that “Labour will also ensure, through an investigation or inquiry, that the truth about the events at Orgreave comes to light.”

This commitment comes as a response to a very long and sustained campaign by the OTJC, trade unions, activists, politicians and social justice campaigners who have fought for truth and justice for Orgreave.

We are pleased that this intention has been publicly declared and look forward to ensuring that any inquiry or investigation is suitable for recognising the actions of the Conservative government before, throughout and after the strike.

This commitment could finally deliver the truth and justice delayed for 40 years. We hope the OTJC have a voice in any inquiry or investigation to ensure the truth is recognised and understood. We are requesting a meeting with the new Home Secretary as soon as possible.
 
Our concerns are that police tactics and police brutality used against picketing miners were militaristic and pre-planned, that the police made false charges and gave false evidence and that the media repeated a government false narrative which sought to demonise and criminalise the miners and the NUM. There is also extreme concern about the failure of our legal system and a lack of legal accountability.
 
An inquiry must have several key elements. The power to request all relevant evidence and information be made available to it. Those with an interest in the inquiry need to be able to fully participate so that their experience, knowledge and understanding are part of the process.

The decision-making panel should include a range of people with the relevant skills to ensure confidence in an objective and independent approach. The inquiry or investigation has to be accessible, open and transparent with its outcome publicly explained and acknowledged to ensure the true narrative of what happened at Orgreave and throughout the year-long strike is finally placed in the public domain.
 
Plenty of information exists and has already been obtained to give an inquiry or investigation a substantial head start. The OTJC does not want an expensive, overly long process. The Scottish government has already used political conviction and moral judgement to try to right the wrongs for the heavy price Scottish miners paid taking action in 1984-85 to protect their industry, jobs and communities.
 
The Durham Gala is a wonderful event for us to show our commitment to obtaining an Orgreave inquiry and a great occasion to meet up with comrades old and new, at our stall and as we all proudly march with our wonderful banners. Come along and say hello. We can’t wait to see you in Durham.
 
Kate Flannery is the secretary of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign — www.otjc.org.uk.