“I feel like I can breathe again”: Home Secretary announces inquiry into 1984 Battle of Orgreave
The decision follows 13 years of pressure from campaigners
After more than a decade of tireless campaigning, survivors of the Battle of Orgreave say they finally have hope of justice, after Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed a public inquiry into the events of June 18, 1984.
Ms Cooper visited the site of the former Orgreave coking plant near Rotherham on Thursday (July 17) to make the long-awaited announcement to members of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). The inquiry will be chaired by the Bishop of Sheffield, Pete Wilcox.
The decision follows 13 years of pressure from campaigners, who have repeatedly called for an official investigation into police conduct during one of the most violent clashes of the 1984-85 miners’ strike.
On that day, thousands of police officers and striking miners clashed outside the coking works. Campaigners say officers used excessive force, and later colluded to prosecute 95 miners—none of whom were ultimately convicted.
For Kevin Horne, one of those arrested at Orgreave, the news brought emotional relief.
“I feel like I can breathe again,” he said.
Joe Rollin, chair of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, said the announcement was a victory for those who never gave up.
“People have always said to us, what’s the point? Because if we don’t learn the lessons of history, we’re doomed them to repeat them.
“It’s about rewriting history, getting the true story told, and that’ll make people be able to lift their heads up high after all this time. We can’t wait to see what the inquiry brings.
“We’ve had lots of disappointments over the years in the campaign, people promising us things and not delivering. So it’s a breath of fresh air that it looks like somebody’s actually listened to us.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper acknowledged the emotional toll the wait had taken.
Ms Cooper told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This is really important that this inquiry can get to the truth about what happened at Orgreave. I have written to police forces to remind them of the importance of ensuring that any evidence and information that they have got must be made available to the Orgreave inquiry, so that they have the full information about what happened that day.
“That is probably the hardest and saddest thing of all, that there are people who have since died, who never got the answers that they wanted in their lifetimes, who were heavily affected by what happened that day, and I think it makes it all the more important that there is a really swift focus on getting answers.”
The NUM’s general secretary, Chris Kitchen, was 17 when he witnessed the events at Orgreave, and said that the inquiry had been a ‘long time coming’.
“We’d have much preferred that we’d have been put it in practice years ago, because unfortunately, there are too many that were there on the day that aren’t here. They’ll never see justice, but at least the families will get to know the truth.
“It’s not going to change what happened. It’s not going to bring anybody back. It’s not going to make it any less raw when you think about it, but it maybe will prevent somebody else having to go through it in the future.”
Carl Parkinson, who was 20 at the time, said the clash changed the way he saw the world.
“I’ve seen a part of society I never want to see again,” he added.
“I’ve educated my grandchildren about what happened on the day, and if I were to die, without hearing anything, at least they’d understand and follow it through.”