ORGREAVE Truth and Justice campaigners welcomed the government’s decision to launch an inquiry into the events of 42 years ago at Saturday’s march and rally in Sheffield, an annual event marking the most violent day in the year-long miners’ strike of 1984-5.

The inquiry will investigate the involvement of the Conservative government and police conduct at the South Yorkshire colliery and coking plant on June 18 1984, when 6,000 police officers from forces across the country charged on horseback at 8,000 striking miners and attacked the crowd with truncheons.

Ninety-five miners were arrested during the so-called Battle of Orgreave but their trial later collapsed.

Kevin Horne, one of the arrested miners, said: “We were striking to defend our jobs and communities and for all our futures. We were attacked and arrested by a militarised police force for being on strike.”

He added that many of the miners have since died and those left need to know what the Tory government planned, what the police did and how the media, security services and judiciary colluded with them.

Kate Flannery, secretary of the Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign, said: “Our recent report describes how the Conservative government was politically involved in the 1984-5 miners’ strike and how they lied to Parliament and used the courts, violent policing and the media to give the police confidence to act violently and tell lies with impunity.

“The 1985 Orgreave trial revealed police lies and abusive conduct. The prosecution had no option but to abandon the trial and all the 95 miners arrested were acquitted.

“The Orgreave inquiry should be exposing all this and much more.”

Bishop of Sheffield the Rt Rev Pete Wilcox, who is chairing the official inquiry, has called for evidence from those involved.