June 14, 2020

This Week in Human Rights News

Photograph courtesy of © Grenfell United (@grenfell_united)

Three Years Since Grenfell

Today marks 3 years since the Grenfell Tower fire, in which 72 lives were lost. The fire was the largest domestic blaze in the UK since WW2. The aluminum-composite cladding that coated the building’s exterior has been identified as the accelerant of the flames’ spread.

Three years after the fire, tens of thousands of people continue to live in buildings with the same flammable cladding as the Grenfell Tower. Many survivors of the fire are saying it’s not a matter of ‘if’ another fire will occur, but ‘when’.

The survivors of the fire are still demanding justice for the victims and feel left behind by the government’s inactions. A Parliamentary committee has warned that the cladding could cost up to £15 billion to remove nationwide.

The government deadline for the replacement of the cladding expired this month, despite over a billion pounds having been set aside by consecutive governments to assist the process. The Grenfell Inquiry is still ongoing three years later. With Covid-19, it is reported that the hearings will continue online. Some fear that the virtual hearings will compromise the process.

Many are drawing links between the Grenfell Tower, the Windrush Scandal and Covid-19, as they tie in to a narrative of institutional racism, injustice, and inequality.

A silent walk is organised on the 14th day of every month. These walks have been cancelled amidst the Covid-19 lockdown.

These walks are extremely significant as a way for survivors and the community to remember, to show that they are still here.

To remember the 72 lives lost, Grenfell United and Grenfell Silent Walk have organised virtual events of remembrance and reflection as due to social distancing, the silent march cannot take place.

For more updates on Grenfell, you may follow @grenfell_united and @officialj4g (Justice 4 Grenfell) on Instagram.