🔗 Share this article

Ministers have decided against initiating a public probe into the Provisional IRA's 1974 Birmingham city bar bombings.

This Tragic Event

Back on 21 November 1974, 21 civilians were killed and 220 hurt when bombs were detonated at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town venues in Birmingham, in an assault largely thought to have been orchestrated by the Provisional IRA.

Judicial Aftermath

Not a single person has been convicted over the incidents. In 1991, six defendants had their guilty verdicts overturned after spending more than 16 years in jail in what stands as one of the most severe failures of the legal system in UK history.

Families Fight for Truth

Families have long fought for a public probe into the explosions to discover what the state knew at the moment of the incident and why nobody has been brought to justice.

Government Response

The minister for security, Dan Jarvis, said on Thursday that while he had deep empathy for the relatives, the cabinet had concluded “after detailed consideration” it would not commit to an inquiry.

Jarvis stated the government considers the newly established commission, established to look into fatalities related to the Northern Ireland conflict, could investigate the Birmingham bombings.

Activists Express Disappointment

Activist Julie Hambleton, whose teenage sister Maxine was murdered in the explosions, said the announcement indicated “the administration show no concern”.

The 62-year-old has for years campaigned for a public investigation and explained she and other grieving families had “no desire” of taking part in the commission.

“There’s no real independence in the body,” she stated, explaining it was “tantamount to them marking their own homework”.

Calls for Evidence Release

Over the years, bereaved families have been calling for the release of papers from intelligence agencies on the incident – particularly on what the authorities knew before and following the attack, and what evidence there is that could result in prosecutions.

“The whole state apparatus is against our families from ever knowing the facts,” she declared. “Solely a legally mandated judge-led open probe will provide us entry to the documents they state they don’t have.”

Legal Capabilities

A official public inquiry has particular judicial powers, encompassing the power to require individuals to appear and disclose evidence connected to the inquiry.

Previous Inquest

An investigation in 2019 – fought for grieving families – concluded the those killed were unlawfully killed by the Provisional IRA but did not establish the identities of those accountable.

Hambleton stated: “Government bodies told the coroner at the time that they have no documents or evidence on what continues to be the UK's most prolonged open multiple killing of the 20th century, but currently they intend to push us to participate of this Legacy Commission to share evidence that they assert has not been present”.

Political Criticism

Liam Byrne, the Member of Parliament for Hodge Hill and Solihull North, labeled the cabinet's ruling as “profoundly disappointing”.

Through a statement on Twitter, Byrne wrote: “Following such a long time, so much pain, and numerous disappointments” the relatives deserve a process that is “independent, judge-led, with full powers and fearless in the pursuit for the truth.”

Continuing Grief

Discussing the families' persistent grief, Hambleton, who leads the Justice 4 the 21, said: “No family of any tragedy of any type will ever have peace. It is impossible. The suffering and the sorrow persist.”