Britain Launches Inquiry into 1984 Battle of Orgreave Clashes

The UK government has announced a formal inquiry into the “Battle of Orgreave,” a violent and controversial clash between striking coal miners and police in 1984. The confrontation, which took place near the Orgreave coking plant in South Yorkshire, involved over 5,000 miners and a similar number of police officers brought in from across the country during a year-long strike against pit closures by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s government.

Footage from the scene on June 18, 1984, captured police charges on horseback and miners being beaten with batons, sparking decades of allegations of police brutality and excessive force. Over 120 people were injured, and 95 miners were arrested and charged—only for the charges to be dropped later due to lack of evidence. Campaigners have long demanded transparency regarding the deployment of such a large police force, their tactics, and access to withheld government documents.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed that an inquiry, led by the Bishop of Sheffield, Pete Wilcox, would seek to uncover the full truth behind the events. “We must now establish what happened,” Cooper said. Kate Flannery of the Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign welcomed the move but stressed the need for full access to official records, saying, “We have waited a long time for this day and this is really positive news.”

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