Five years after the Grenfell Tower disaster
Survivors and families of victims demand justice for London fire
The Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 people.
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Sympathizers with the victims participated in the symbolic pose.
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The memorial to the victims was erected near the building.
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When 18 green balloons, one for every child who died in the Grenfell Tower fire, soared into the sky last Tuesday, beside the abandoned building, eight-year-old Aisha, who survived the fire, climbed onto the porch near her former home.
The building, which was completely burned, was covered.
"I will not forget my friends and neighbors who did not survive," Aisha said, reading a poem she organized. "We will fight for justice."
Five years after the devastating fire in the Grenfell apartment building, west London, that killed 72 people, the families and friends of the victims, as well as survivors and supporters, have come together to pay tribute to those who died, to demand justice for a tragedy that for many remains an open wound.
"Five years have passed, and no one has been arrested," said researcher Abdel Hakim Murad, who is also the dean of an Islamic college, during the vigil at Grenfell Tower.
A crowd of people dressed in the emblematic green of Grenfell, on their shirts, jackets and headscarves, gathered in the morning for mass at Westminster Abbey, then another in the afternoon near Grenfell Tower.
The assembled placed bouquets of white roses next to the temporary retaining walls that surround the tower, which in the years following the fire became a temporary memorial, decorated with pictures, mosaics, balloons, drawings and honours.
Before the liturgy, there were those who comforted and hugged those who cried in memory of their loved ones, and there were those who burned incense and wrote messages on the wall designated for this purpose.
The survivors told a grieving man that his brother was the kindest man, and told another grieving family that their young cousin, who died in the fire, was always helping his neighbours.
Ann Murphy, in her eighties, watched her son Dennis Murphy die in the fire, her youngest son writing some words on the bulkhead for her.
He wrote in a black pen, "I love you and miss you, son."
"It's still very painful," said the elderly lady.
"We want justice," she added, holding a picture of Denise.
My son and other people were killed.”
Circumstances of the accident
Her youngest son, Tim Murphy, added that most families who have lost loved ones can find peace with time, "but we can't, because of all the political bickering around this fire." "It's not easy," he said.
The fire, which spread to the building due to flammable cladding added to the exterior, broke out during the renovation process.
The cladding has been banned in many countries, but the removal of local restrictions means it can still be used in Britain, where politicians have clearly decided that cost concerns outweigh the fire risk.
The government launched an investigation into the fire in 2017, and only after the second phase of the investigation has concluded can a separate criminal investigation by London police conclude that formal charges may be brought.
Even as society united in memory and grief, the desire for accountability and change permeated today.
"The loss and pain are still great, and we gather here in grief and pain," said Dean of Westminster Abbey, David Hoyle, as he opened mass on Tuesday morning, and Hoyle asked those present to commit to remembering the victims and seeking justice for those who were wronged.
The assembly replied, "We will seek justice."
The service was attended by leaders from some of the Muslim, Jewish, Orthodox and Sikh communities in London, to represent the diverse faiths of the people who inhabited Grenfell Tower, and to read the names of the victims aloud.
Michael Gove, a Cabinet minister whose responsibilities include housing policy, attended the ceremony in Westminster, while Prince William and his wife, Catherine, met families and assembled at the tower and laid a wreath.
Verses from the Holy Quran were recited, followed by Christian prayers;
The Grenfell Tower was described by community members as a symbol of suffering and love, but also of shame for all those who allowed the installation of the tower's dangerous livery.
killer advice
Manana Jabbari moved to London, from Morocco, months after the fire that killed her daughter, Fawzia, her husband and their three children, while she was residing in England.
Although she does not speak the language, she is eagerly waiting to testify in the investigation.
"Being in court is the only thing that calms me down," Jabbari said, standing outside Westminster Abbey.
Farah, a relative of Fawzia, said the family lived on the 21st floor of the building and the firefighters asked them to stay in their apartment.
She said she heard recordings of recent calls the family made to emergency services, in which they accused the firefighters of causing the family's death with their advice.
"We heard from their mouths what happened, that's why we really need to fight for justice," said Farah, 26.
• The fire, which spread to the building due to flammable cladding added to the exterior, broke out during the renovation process.
unequal conditions
The first part of the public inquiry was highly critical of the London Fire Brigade for advising residents to stay in their apartments in the first hours of a fire based on the assumption that the fire could be isolated from parts of the building.
The tragedy at Grenfell Tower also highlighted the unequal living conditions for people in one of London's richest neighbourhoods.
The tower, with its dangerous cladding and lack of fire safety measures, and lacking fire alarms, sprinklers and fire exits, is within walking distance of the famous Notting Hill streets, and in the same neighborhood as the luxury Chelsea properties.
Residents said the inequality was reflected in the investigation's duration.
silent march
“Because it was a working-class society, there's a lack of urgency," said Nicola Farr, 32, as her 1-year-old son, Junior, was in a pram, holding a sign that read.
We demand the truth.”
Farr, who lives near the tower, added that it was important for her son to attend the occasion.
"It is important for him to see the sadness," she said.
It's part of our history, it's ingrained in our community.” At the end of the day, families, survivors, and hundreds of supporters organized a silent march across the neighborhood to commemorate the victims, carrying placards reading, "A lot of evidence still doesn't matter."
Next to the tower, Karim Moslehi, representative of Grenfell United Survivors and Families, who lost his uncle in the fire, took to the stage after the end of the walk. "Were we expecting to stand here after five years?"
He continued, "Five years have passed, and we are still here saying the same things."
gross negligence
The public inquiry into the fire that killed 72 people at Grenfell Tower, west London, has spent £149m so far, with more than £60m going to lawyers working for the primary parties, the inquiry revealed last week.
The London Fire Brigade has spent an additional £13m, and the Kingston and Chelsea area is expected to spend £10m.
Arconic, which made the combustible cladding panels that were the main cause of the fire, said it had spent £55m in legal and professional fees defending itself.
The costs are expected to be higher, when accounting for the spending of other companies involved in the disaster.
The public inquiry has continued for more than four years, and with the hearings set to end in July, the head of the Inquiry, Sir Martin Moore Peak, is not expected to present his final report until 2023. Meanwhile, the police are investigating potential crimes;
Including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence and health and safety crimes.
They are waiting for the outcome of the public inquiry before deciding whether to recommend prosecutions, meaning any trials could begin as early as 2024.
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