It is the 42nd anniversary of the Battle of Orgreave and after decades of campaigning miners are hoping their stories will be heard.
The independent inquiry into the bloody and violent ‘Battle of Orgreave’ has been formally launched with the chair promising to ‘establish the truth’.
Miners are now being urged to come forward to help the statutory inquiry, which will look at the violent events at Orgreave Coking Plant on June 18th 1984.
The inquiry chair says he wants to tell the stories that have ‘yet to be told’ and “help resolve a trauma that persists to this day”.
The ‘Battle of Orgreave’ in South Yorkshire, involved clashes between police from eighteen UK forces and some 5000 striking miners.
It led to 120 injuries at the Orgreave Coking Plant as police charged at the striking miners on a hot summer’s day.
Ninety‑five picketers were arrested and charged with riot and violent disorder, but all charges were later dropped after evidence was discredited.
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Last July, the UK Government announced that the events before, during and after that day – a pivotal moment in the 1984–85 miners’ strike -would finally be investigated.
The inquiry has full statutory powers to compel witnesses and require the disclosure of evidence and is expected to report by spring 2028.
The Right Reverend Dr Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield, will chair the Inquiry, supported by a four‑person panel after several months of consultation and pleas for evidence. They also published the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference.
Bishop Wilcox, Chair of the Orgreave Inquiry, said of his commitment: “I wish to help resolve a trauma that persists to this day – for the miners who were injured at Orgreave, who were arrested at Orgreave, who feel their story has not yet been fully told.
“For their families and communities, and for the relationship between police and the mining community.
“ While policing has changed significantly since 1984, serious questions about the specific events at Orgreave remain unanswered. I approach this responsibility with impartiality, humility, and a firm commitment to transparency.
“Many who were present at Orgreave have waited most of their lives for a process that listens to them, respects their testimony, and examines the facts without fear or favour.
“I will follow the evidence without prejudice, wherever it may lead, wholly independent of government, law enforcement, or any other public body.”
He said over the next two years, the Inquiry will examine: ‘Planning by the police and government for the policing at Orgreave and events on the day itself and the “aftermath’.
They will also look at the “lasting impact on individuals, communities” and “charging decisions and prosecutions arising from the arrests made at Orgreave.”
South Yorkshire Police previously said it would “fully cooperate with the inquiry in a bid to help those affected find answers”.
The Inquiry will provide a formal update on progress to the Home Secretary by spring 2027.
The Inquiry also launches its ‘Call for Evidence’, inviting individuals and organisations with relevant information or experiences to come forward.
Bishop Wilcox added:“I am acutely aware of the weight of expectation placed on this inquiry.
“Many people have campaigned for decades for an Orgreave Inquiry…Although preparatory work has been underway for some months, today marks the formal start of my investigation.
“We want to hear from as many people as possible about what happened at Orgreave and the impact it has had since…”
The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign said they were “pleased” the Government is finally launching the start of the Orgreave Inquiry but “disappointed that it has taken so long” for the Home Office to come to this stage.
“The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and supporters have worked hard over many years for an Orgreave Inquiry and it has been a long and difficult journey…
This 42nd anniversary year of the miners’ strike reminds us that we must never forget the importance of that great strike to defend an industry, jobs, trade unions and communities and the fight for all our futures.
“We are indebted to the striking miners and their families for their dedication and sacrifice to that year-long struggle that changed all our lives forever.”
Kevin Horne, striking miner arrested at Orgreave, said: “We know that the Tory Government of the 1980s was directly involved in the miners’ strike while professing ‘non-involvement’.
“This was state sponsored organisation against the miners and our livelihoods. The Tory’s own archives confirm Parliament and the public were knowingly lied to but their involvement in the strike and the policing of it has never been publicly acknowledged”
Kate Flannery, Secretary of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign said: “We need answers about the systemic violent and lying behaviour of the police.
“We need to know about plans of how police officers on the ground were briefed and how that briefing came about.
“We need government and police papers releasing that have been embargoed until 2066 and 2071.
“The police have recently still been destroying vital evidence needed for this inquiry.
“This is of great public interest and concern and is about a government who actively worked against its own population and handed the police paramilitary powers and destroyed an industry in the process.”
Chris Peace, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign activist said: “Orgreave marked a turning point in the policing of public protest. With no accountability of policing at Orgreave, a message was sent to the police that they could employ violence and tell lies with impunity.
“This set a culture for violent militarised police to run riot throughout mining communities and villages all over Britain.
“It also enabled a culture for the police to maintain many lies and cover ups in 1989 at Hillsborough. The Hillsborough campaigners are still fighting for justice to this day”
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said this is a “crucial milestone on the long road to justice for the miners and their families”.
“…We owe it to the miners, to their families, and to our communities to ensure their voices are heard. “
Information on how to take part in the ‘call for evidence’ is available at www.orgreave.public-inquiry.uk now. The submission window will close on 22 May 2026, after which the Chair will confirm the next stages of the Inquiry’s work.
