London, 15th February 2019

20 months on from the Grenfell Tower fire that claimed 72 lives, 72 people, comprised of activists, bereaved families, members of the community and high profile supporters of the cause, united at the start of London Fashion Week, to represent those who lost their lives in the disaster.

Wearing a protest t-shirt, the 72 ‘models’, including musician Emeli Sande, models Adwoa Aboah and Clara Paget, activists Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein and DJ Becky Tong, lined up on the catwalk of LFW at 180 The Strand calling for justice as nearly 2 years on from the atrocity of the Grenfell Tower fire, nobody has been held accountable.

The ‘No Death in Vain’ t-shirt was designed by Grenfell Speaks and two young community members at SpiltSquare Design: “We wanted to create a design that remembered and honoured the people who died at Grenfell Tower, and to serve as a reminder of why we continue to campaign as a community.”

There are still hundreds of buildings with flammable cladding, not all families have been adequately rehoused, developers and local authorities are “consistently ignoring” the London Fire Brigade’s advice that sprinklers are crucial in their buildings. The second half of the Inquiry and criminal investigation has been delayed, likely until 2020. In short, there has been no justice; lessons have not been learned and there has been little to no change to fire and building regulations.

“London Fashion week is a perennial event in the international calendar and highlights the world talent, creativity and inspiration in our diverse city.

The fire at Grenfell Tower is the unfashionable side of London where 72 people needlessly lost their lives. Their deaths will not be in vain. We are honoured to be part of LFW that will assist our campaign in keeping a global focus on what happened at Grenfell and to support the bereaved families in their continued fight for truth and justice.

The accountable authorities have been inadequate and tardy in their response and 20 months on; no significant changes or improvements have been made and no one to date has been held responsible. These factors and issues are fundamental to ensuring that nothing like this is ever allowed to happen again.” Yvette Williams J4G campaign coordinator.

In solidarity and to demand justice for those who lost their lives, Justice4Grenfell is encouraging the public to show support for the movement by resharing these images during London Fashion Week on social media with the #Justice4Grenfell @officialJ4G

Photo credit: Jeff Moore
Social: @OfficialJ4G #Justice4Grenfell

For further information, or to arrange an interview with a Justice4Grenfell spokesperson, please contact Sabrina Coogan on [email protected] or 07850753929; or Matt Crowhurst on [email protected] or 07971 301874.

We’ve got some new photos from our ‘Three Billboards outside Grenfell, London’ protest.

This event has been cancelled.

https://m.facebook.com/events/267328587114128/?ti=as

The Grenfell Tower fire tragedy is now subject to criminal investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service. (MPS) This represents a real opportunity for the survivors to achieve some level of justice. However, it’s one thing to announce a criminal investigation, another to ensure that prosecutions are being brought, and convictions being achieved.

This important investigation must enjoy the complete confidence of the survivors, those affected by the fire, and the wider public.

There are three key areas of major concern:

1. Maintaining public confidence
2. Ensuring the appropriate resources, focus and remit of the inquiry.
3. Determining the exact number of those thought dead.
4. The immigration status of potential witnesses
5. Independent and on-going community scrutiny of the police investigation

The MPS has said there are “reasonable grounds” to suspect both the council and the TMO that managed the tower block of Corporate Manslaughter.

The organisations under suspicion are Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation. Plus 60 odd Grenfell contractors involved in the refurbishment

The law on Corporate Manslaughter requires any prosecution to prove that there was a gross breach of a relevant duty of care owed to those who died.

However the 2007 Act does not give MPS the power to arrest any individual from the organisations under suspicion.

Criminal sanctions are negligible. Anyone found guilty is liable to a fine, not imprisonment. A fine would not represent justice for the Grenfell victims and their families. That’s why Gross Negligence Involuntary Manslaughter is a much preferable charge and can result in the guilty doing prison time.

The Mayor is responsible for the MPS. Every month the MPS report to the London Assembly and the Mayor about key issues of crime and public safety in London in order to keep up public pressure in demanding a thorough investigation.

To do that we need to ensure that Londoners attend these monthly meetings and demand the opportunity to ask the Senior Investigations Officer and his team public questions.