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“We never asked for revenge. We asked for the truth to be told — and today, that begins.”
After four decades of silence, suspicion, and struggle, the long-awaited inquiry into the infamous Orgreave clash finally begins today — an investigation many believed might never happen.
For the former miners who were arrested, beaten, or tried in what they call one of Britain’s great miscarriages of justice, this moment is more than a formal process. It’s a reckoning.
And for the country?
It’s a chance to confront one of the most polarising episodes in modern British history.
A flashpoint frozen in time
The date was June 18, 1984. The place: Orgreave coking plant, South Yorkshire.
Roughly 8,000 striking miners arrived at the site to picket, amid the broader industrial conflict between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Margaret Thatcher’s government.
What awaited them was not just opposition — but a militarised police force 6,000 strong, drawn from across the country.
Then came the chaos: mounted police charging picket lines, miners clubbed with truncheons, and scenes of brutality caught on camera.
The aftermath was that 95 miners were charged with riot and unlawful assembly. All were eventually acquitted after their barristers accused police of lying and fabricating evidence.
So why did it take more than 40 years for a UK government to finally ask what really happened?
A wall of resistance
For decades, the idea of an Orgreave inquiry was met with stubborn refusal from those in power.
In 2016, then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd declared there would be no inquiry, claiming there was “no case to answer.”
The statement triggered fury among campaigners and survivors who had been demanding answers since the 1980s.
Many believed the government feared what an inquiry might expose — particularly about the role of Thatcher’s cabinet, and whether the police were used as a political weapon to break the strike and crush union resistance.
“The miners were painted as the villains,” says Joe Rollin, a founding member of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC).
“But we were the ones attacked, arrested, and lied about. We were working-class men fighting for our communities. That’s the truth we want told.”
Turning of the tide
The tide began to shift in 2012, when The Guardian published an investigation linking the South Yorkshire Police operation at Orgreave with the same force’s role in the Hillsborough disaster of 1989.
Both events were led by Chief Constable Peter Wright. In both, the public was fed a false narrative, and in both, documents were allegedly manipulated or destroyed to protect the authorities.
A BBC documentary later that year revealed that dozens of police officers’ statements used in Orgreave prosecutions had identical wording, raising suspicions they were dictated by detectives.
From those revelations, the OTJC was born — a campaign that refused to go away.
A new government, a new chapter
The breakthrough came with the Labour government’s election victory in 2024. Yvette Cooper, now Home Secretary and an MP for a former mining area, had backed calls for an inquiry since 2015.
Last week, at the site of the former Orgreave coking plant — now a retail estate and business park — she stood alongside NUM president Chris Kitchen, OTJC campaigners, and South Yorkshire’s mayor to confirm:
“People have waited over 40 years. The time for answers is now.”
What the inquiry will do — and why it matters
Chaired by Bishop Pete Wilcox of Sheffield, the inquiry is statutory — meaning it has the power to compel witnesses, demand documents, and override confidentiality.
Its goals are ambitious but clear:
-
Expose the truth behind the policing of Orgreave: Was it pre-planned? Was force used proportionately?
-
Investigate the collapse of the 1985 prosecutions: Were police statements fabricated? Were court proceedings manipulated?
-
Uncover state involvement: Was this a local policing decision, or a nationally orchestrated crackdown from No. 10?
Even though some police forces — most notably Northumbria Police — have since destroyed their Orgreave files, the inquiry will seek to recover whatever remains, including classified documents still held on grounds of “national security.”
“We can’t turn back time,”
says Bishop Wilcox.
“But we can ensure the truth is no longer buried.”
What’s at Stake — for Everyone
This isn’t just about righting the wrongs of the past. It’s about understanding the present.
For former miners, many of whom carry trauma, criminal records, or lifelong injuries, it’s a chance for redemption and recognition.
Arthur Critchlow, one of the men arrested and beaten at Orgreave, described living under the fear of a life sentence: “It’s a massive injustice. I just want the truth — for people to know what the police did, and who ordered it.”
For the South Yorkshire Police and others involved, the inquiry could uncover evidence of institutional wrongdoing. It may damage reputations, but it also offers a chance to acknowledge mistakes and rebuild public trust.
For the public, especially younger generations, the inquiry could reshape how Britain remembers the miners’ strike — not as “mob rule,” as Thatcher once called it, but as a political conflict framed as a criminal one.
Lessons for the future
The Orgreave inquiry echoes the Hillsborough Independent Panel, which in 2012 dismantled the police narrative and led to a public apology and eventual inquests.
Like Hillsborough, Orgreave reveals what happens when power operates without accountability — and how long it can take to restore faith in justice.
No one knows whether prosecutions will follow. Given the time that has passed, it’s unlikely.
But as Cooper put it: “Justice isn’t only about convictions — it’s about truth.”
Closure, or just the beginning?
The inquiry’s work will take months, possibly years. Documents must be reviewed, individuals interviewed, and findings compiled.
But for campaigners like Rollin, the journey is far from over.
“We’ve carried this fight for 40 years. We’re not going anywhere until every lie is exposed and every voice is heard.”
Whether the inquiry delivers that justice remains to be seen. But what’s certain is this: the silence is over.
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Orgreave Inquiry begins: after 40 years, the fight for truth finally takes centre stage
Share this post:
After four decades of silence, suspicion, and struggle, the long-awaited inquiry into the infamous Orgreave clash finally begins today — an investigation many believed might never happen.
For the former miners who were arrested, beaten, or tried in what they call one of Britain’s great miscarriages of justice, this moment is more than a formal process. It’s a reckoning.
And for the country?
It’s a chance to confront one of the most polarising episodes in modern British history.
A flashpoint frozen in time
The date was June 18, 1984. The place: Orgreave coking plant, South Yorkshire.
Roughly 8,000 striking miners arrived at the site to picket, amid the broader industrial conflict between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Margaret Thatcher’s government.
What awaited them was not just opposition — but a militarised police force 6,000 strong, drawn from across the country.
Then came the chaos: mounted police charging picket lines, miners clubbed with truncheons, and scenes of brutality caught on camera.
The aftermath was that 95 miners were charged with riot and unlawful assembly. All were eventually acquitted after their barristers accused police of lying and fabricating evidence.
So why did it take more than 40 years for a UK government to finally ask what really happened?
A wall of resistance
For decades, the idea of an Orgreave inquiry was met with stubborn refusal from those in power.
In 2016, then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd declared there would be no inquiry, claiming there was “no case to answer.”
The statement triggered fury among campaigners and survivors who had been demanding answers since the 1980s.
Many believed the government feared what an inquiry might expose — particularly about the role of Thatcher’s cabinet, and whether the police were used as a political weapon to break the strike and crush union resistance.
“The miners were painted as the villains,” says Joe Rollin, a founding member of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC).
“But we were the ones attacked, arrested, and lied about. We were working-class men fighting for our communities. That’s the truth we want told.”
Turning of the tide
The tide began to shift in 2012, when The Guardian published an investigation linking the South Yorkshire Police operation at Orgreave with the same force’s role in the Hillsborough disaster of 1989.
Both events were led by Chief Constable Peter Wright. In both, the public was fed a false narrative, and in both, documents were allegedly manipulated or destroyed to protect the authorities.
A BBC documentary later that year revealed that dozens of police officers’ statements used in Orgreave prosecutions had identical wording, raising suspicions they were dictated by detectives.
From those revelations, the OTJC was born — a campaign that refused to go away.
A new government, a new chapter
The breakthrough came with the Labour government’s election victory in 2024. Yvette Cooper, now Home Secretary and an MP for a former mining area, had backed calls for an inquiry since 2015.
Last week, at the site of the former Orgreave coking plant — now a retail estate and business park — she stood alongside NUM president Chris Kitchen, OTJC campaigners, and South Yorkshire’s mayor to confirm:
“People have waited over 40 years. The time for answers is now.”
What the inquiry will do — and why it matters
Chaired by Bishop Pete Wilcox of Sheffield, the inquiry is statutory — meaning it has the power to compel witnesses, demand documents, and override confidentiality.
Its goals are ambitious but clear:
Expose the truth behind the policing of Orgreave: Was it pre-planned? Was force used proportionately?
Investigate the collapse of the 1985 prosecutions: Were police statements fabricated? Were court proceedings manipulated?
Uncover state involvement: Was this a local policing decision, or a nationally orchestrated crackdown from No. 10?
Even though some police forces — most notably Northumbria Police — have since destroyed their Orgreave files, the inquiry will seek to recover whatever remains, including classified documents still held on grounds of “national security.”
says Bishop Wilcox.
What’s at Stake — for Everyone
This isn’t just about righting the wrongs of the past. It’s about understanding the present.
For former miners, many of whom carry trauma, criminal records, or lifelong injuries, it’s a chance for redemption and recognition.
Arthur Critchlow, one of the men arrested and beaten at Orgreave, described living under the fear of a life sentence: “It’s a massive injustice. I just want the truth — for people to know what the police did, and who ordered it.”
For the South Yorkshire Police and others involved, the inquiry could uncover evidence of institutional wrongdoing. It may damage reputations, but it also offers a chance to acknowledge mistakes and rebuild public trust.
For the public, especially younger generations, the inquiry could reshape how Britain remembers the miners’ strike — not as “mob rule,” as Thatcher once called it, but as a political conflict framed as a criminal one.
Lessons for the future
The Orgreave inquiry echoes the Hillsborough Independent Panel, which in 2012 dismantled the police narrative and led to a public apology and eventual inquests.
Like Hillsborough, Orgreave reveals what happens when power operates without accountability — and how long it can take to restore faith in justice.
No one knows whether prosecutions will follow. Given the time that has passed, it’s unlikely.
But as Cooper put it: “Justice isn’t only about convictions — it’s about truth.”
Closure, or just the beginning?
The inquiry’s work will take months, possibly years. Documents must be reviewed, individuals interviewed, and findings compiled.
But for campaigners like Rollin, the journey is far from over.
Whether the inquiry delivers that justice remains to be seen. But what’s certain is this: the silence is over.
Share this post:
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