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Shrewsbury, Orgreave and Hillsborough remembered at TUC fringe

WORKERS’ rights campaigners slammed police, media and politicians yesterday as they raised the ghosts of Shrewsbury, Orgreave and Hillsborough at a fringe on justice campaigns, writes David Peel.

Shrewsbury picket Ricky Tomlinson, Barbara Jackson from Orgreave Truth and Justice and the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom’s Granville Williams told very similar stories.

Six building workers were given illegal jail terms following a judicial fiasco over the 1972 Shrewsbury picket lines.

“It’s unbelievable the strokes they pulled to lock us up,” said Mr Tomlinson.

In 1984 a police riot at Orgreave coking plant resulted in 95 miners being arrested and charged. The entire case collapsed because of fabricated police evidence. 

“Every force of the state was thrown at us during the miners’ strike. We want a full public inquiry,” said Ms Jackson.

And The Sun smeared of 96 innocent football fans after the Hillsborough disaster using material supplied by the very police whose actions led to the tragedy.

“Who controls the narrative gets the message out. In this case it was a foul-mouthed bully editor called Kelvin MacKenzie,” said Granville Williams.

The lesson was clear — do not be intimidated by the Establishment.

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