HJC statement of support

THE HILLSBOROUGH JUSTICE CAMPAIGN (HJC) SUPPORTS CALLS FOR PUBLIC INQURY INTO EVENTS AT ORGREAVE DURING MINERS STRIKE IN 1984

The Hillsborough Justice Campaign wishes to add its support to calls for a public inquiry into the events at the Orgreave coking plant in the summer of 1984 that culminated in 95 arrests on 18^th June that year. All those arrested and charged were subsequently acquitted. The IPCC has recently reviewed allegations of perverting the course of justice, perjury, assault and misconduct in public office, by senior police officers relating to those cases. Despite the existence of material indicating those offences may have been committed the IPCC have, nevertheless decided that it is not in the public interest to investigate further. The HJC shares the disappointment of the Orgreave Campaign with this decision of the IPCC.

The HJC would urge Orgreave people to maintain their campaign in the face of this recent set back. Hillsborough families and survivors suffered numerous setbacks over many years before their struggle for truth and justice was formally acknowledged. Recent and on-going investigations and Inquests into the deaths of the 96 Hillsborough victims stand testimony to such persistence. Based on our own experience we believe that a full judicial inquiry or HIP-style investigation would help those involved to establish the truth about the events at Orgreave, why 95 miners were arrested on 18^th June 1984 and why despite the acquittal of all 95 no inquiry ever took place afterwards. The HJC notes that the IPCC report indicates that some of the records of key police witnesses had been dictated to them and senior officers knew of evidence given by officers during the trial, which may have been perjured and which they wanted to ensure would not get disclosed.

Given the ongoing Hillsborough Inquests the HJC are constrained from making any further comment until the completion of the Inquests.