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Ministers have rejected the idea of establishing a open inquiry into the IRA's 1974 Birmingham city bar explosions.

The Devastating Event

Back on 21 November 1974, 21 people were murdered and 220 injured when explosive devices were set off at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town venues in Birmingham, in an incident widely believed to have been planned by the IRA.

Judicial Consequences

Nobody has been found guilty over the attacks. In 1991, six men had their convictions quashed after spending more than 16 years in detention in what is considered one of the worst errors of justice in British history.

Relatives Fight for Truth

Loved ones have long fought for a public investigation into the explosions to uncover what the government was aware of at the time of the event and why nobody has been held accountable.

Government Response

The minister for security, Dan Jarvis, announced on recently that while he had profound sympathy for the loved ones, the cabinet had decided “after thorough consideration” it would not authorize an inquiry.

Jarvis explained the government believes the reconciliation commission, established to look into fatalities connected to the Troubles, could investigate the Birmingham bombings.

Advocates React

Advocate Julie Hambleton, whose teenage sister Maxine was killed in the attacks, said the decision showed “the authorities show no concern”.

The 62-year-old has for decades pushed for a open inquiry and explained she and other bereaved relatives had “no intention” of participating in the new body.

“There’s no true impartiality in the panel,” she stated, noting it was “equivalent to them assessing their own work”.

Calls for Document Release

Over the years, grieving families have been calling for the release of files from intelligence agencies on the incident – particularly on what the government was aware of prior to and after the attack, and what evidence there is that could bring about legal action.

“The entire state apparatus is against our relatives from ever knowing the facts,” she stated. “Exclusively a legally mandated judicial national investigation will give us access to the documents they claim they lack.”

Legal Capabilities

A official national inquiry has specific legal powers, including the power to require individuals to attend and provide evidence connected to the investigation.

Previous Inquest

An hearing in 2019 – campaigned for bereaved families – concluded the those killed were murdered by the Provisional IRA but failed to identify the identities of those culpable.

Hambleton commented: “Government bodies told the coroner at the time that they have absolutely no files or documentation on what continues to be Britain's longest open mass murder of the 1900s, but at present they want to force us to engage of this new commission to share details that they claim has never existed”.

Official Reaction

Liam Byrne, the Member of Parliament for the Birmingham area, characterized the cabinet's decision as “profoundly unsatisfactory”.

In a statement on social media, Byrne wrote: “After so much period, so much pain, and countless disappointments” the loved ones deserve a mechanism that is “independent, judge-led, with comprehensive capabilities and unafraid in the quest for the reality.”

Ongoing Sorrow

Reflecting on the family’s ongoing sorrow, Hambleton, who leads the Justice 4 the 21, said: “No relative of any tragedy of any type will ever have resolution. It is unattainable. The suffering and the anguish persist.”