After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
THREE years ago this month, the 2016 Tory home secretary Amber Rudd refused to establish an inquiry into one of the most violent assaults by police on workers during an industrial dispute in Britain.
She believed there was no sufficient basis for an Orgreave inquiry, because she felt that there was no miscarriage of justice, there was nothing new for the police to learn, it was a long time ago and nobody died at Orgreave.
The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) continues with its commitment to the fight for truth and justice and a public inquiry into the policing of miners picketing the Orgreave coking plant on June 18 1984 during the miners’ strike.
The Home Secretary’s recent letter suggests the Labour government may finally deliver on its nine-year manifesto commitment, writes KATE FLANNERY, but we must move quickly: as recently as 2024 Northumbria police destroyed miners’ strike documents



