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The State versus the people: we need an inquiry into Orgreave
The Tories' silence on the policing of the 1984-5 miners' strike is irreconcilable with the approach of Scotland and Wales, writes Chris Hockney, chair of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign

TODAY  is the 4th anniversary of the 2016 Tory home secretary Amber Rudd’s decision not to hold any inquiry into the events at Orgreave during the miners’ strike against pit closures in June 1984.

The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) expected her to announce some form of inquiry, due to OTJC legal evidence and comments and questions that both Rudd and previous home secretary Theresa May had made in meetings with the campaign.

In her speech to the 2016 Police Federation conference, May even talked about dealing with historic injustices for those communities which had suffered. 

Policing hasn’t improved and there are many examples of police brutality during arrests, protesters being kettled, mounted police charges into peaceful crowds, police falsifying evidence, lying and behaving with impunity.

The Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill......in effect sanctions torture, rape, sexual violence and murder by the security services, anywhere in this country or worldwide.

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