Four years on from the Grenfell Tower disaster, Justice4Grenfell has launched a campaign to coincide with the 4th anniversary of the fire, using their ‘4’ to highlight a lack of justice and accountability.
Made using news reports and photography from the past four years, the non-profit organisation has produced a series of images and a 72-second film. Each features incriminating stories of inequality, betrayal and fear that show just how much injustice the community has endured since 72 lives were lost.
Despite public outcry at the time, and continuous campaigning from many groups, still no one has been held accountable for the disaster at Grenfell. Firms involved were granted immunity from prosecution if they gave evidence at the Inquiry; firefighters were made a scapegoat during the Inquiry’s first phase; more tower block fires have occurred since then; and even today up to 11 million people may live in properties with unsafe cladding.
The campaign is linked to a petition calling for the government to reform the 2005 Inquiries Act, making it a legal obligation to implement Inquiry recommendations. As it stands, Inquiries have no legal recourse, and governments don’t have to act on recommendations or findings – as was seen with the amendment to the Fire Safety Act – leaving potential risks for future loss of life. Public Inquiries are hugely expensive and are often plagued with delays. If the government had acted on the inquiry findings following the Lakanal House fire in 2009, the fire at Grenfell tower may have been prevented.
The campaign was created pro-bono by Bilel Labjaoui and Charlie Hallam, alongside Daniel Todd and Nick Toumazi from TAG Worldwide, and local photographer Beresford Hodge. ITN allowed them access to four years of news reports, so that the team could tell the truth of what has happened since the fire and remind the nation of the stories that may have been forgotten, neglected, or ignored.
A short film and photographs will feature in the press and on social media channels. ITN allowed access to four years of news reports so that Justice4Grenfell could tell the truth of what has happened since the fire and remind the nation of the stories that may have been forgotten, neglected, or ignored. These were then brought to life using photography by Beresford Hodge, a local photojournalist who has been documenting the plight of the community since that horrific day.
Justice4Grenfell spokesperson, Yvette Williams, said:
Those in positions of power must be held accountable as it has been four years of inequality and inaction. Few recommendations from Phase 1 of the inquiry have been implemented; amendments to a fire safety bill were consistently voted down and thousands of people still live-in unsafe homes with poor or no remuneration to remove dangerous materials. At the same time building industry companies who falsified fire tests and certificates are still making huge profits. Housing managers who ignored tenants and fire and safety compliance are indifferent to their failures and still have their jobs and a Criminal Investigation has been paused until the conclusion of the Inquiry. This is not justice; this is a lack of political will and accountability.
Whilst Nabil Choucair, who lost six members of his family, said:
“Four years on I fear that those responsible for the fire are going to get away with murder. It’s a shame that the public inquiry cannot be stopped, and the criminal investigation is completed, and prosecutions put in place immediately.”
The campaign will run from 14th June – the 4th anniversary of the tragedy – with more stories being released throughout the year, continuing to call for support until justice is done.
