Ministers Deny Open Probe into Birmingham Bar Explosions

Ministers have decided against establishing a open probe into the IRA's 1974-era Birmingham pub attacks.

This Tragic Event

On 21 November 1974, 21 individuals were lost their lives and 220 hurt when explosive devices were exploded at the Mulberry Bush pub and Tavern in the Town pub venues in Birmingham, in an attack largely thought to have been planned by the Provisional IRA.

Judicial Aftermath

Not a single person has been found guilty over the incidents. In 1991, six men had their guilty verdicts reversed after enduring over 16 years in prison in what remains one of the most severe failures of the legal system in British history.

Relatives Fight for Justice

Relatives have for decades pushed for a public investigation into the explosions to discover what the government was aware of at the time of the tragedy and why not a single person has been prosecuted.

Government Decision

The minister for security, Dan Jarvis, announced on recently that while he had profound sympathy for the families, the administration had determined “after careful deliberation” it would not commit to an inquiry.

Jarvis said the government thinks the newly established commission, established to investigate fatalities associated with the Troubles, could examine the Birmingham attacks.

Advocates React

Campaigner Julie Hambleton, whose 18-year-old sister Maxine was lost her life in the attacks, said the statement indicated “the authorities are indifferent”.

The 62-year-old has for decades campaigned for a public inquiry and said she and other bereaved relatives had “no desire” of participating in the investigative panel.

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

Requests for Evidence Release

For years, bereaved loved ones have been demanding the publication of files from government bodies on the attack – especially on what the authorities was aware of prior to and after the incident, and what proof there is that could bring about prosecutions.

“The entire British establishment is resisting our relatives from ever knowing the reality,” she stated. “Only a official judge-directed public inquiry will grant us access to the documents they state they lack.”

Legal Powers

A legally mandated public investigation has distinct judicial powers, encompassing the ability to require individuals to attend and disclose evidence related to the investigation.

Earlier Inquest

An hearing in 2019 – secured by bereaved relatives – concluded the victims were unlawfully killed by the IRA but failed to identify the names of those accountable.

Hambleton commented: “Government bodies told the then coroner that they have zero documents or documentation on what continues to be England’s most prolonged unsolved atrocity of the last century, but now they aim to pressure us down the route of this new commission to share details that they assert has not been present”.

Official Criticism

Liam Byrne, the Member of Parliament for Hodge Hill and Solihull North, characterized the government’s decision as “profoundly disheartening”.

Through a statement on Twitter, Byrne stated: “After such a long period, so much pain, and numerous disappointments” the loved ones merit a procedure that is “impartial, judge-led, with comprehensive powers and unafraid in the search for the truth.”

Ongoing Sorrow

Discussing the families' persistent sorrow, Hambleton, who leads the Justice 4 the 21, remarked: “No relative of any atrocity of any kind will ever have closure. It is unattainable. The pain and the grief continue.”