I saw the police violence at Orgreave. It's time for the truth to come out

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/22/police-violence-orgreave-miners-truth

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On 18 June 1984, dressed in T-shirt, jeans and plimsolls, I ran breathlessly up the steep hill, my 21-year-old son in front of me, the pounding hooves of horses carrying police officers wearing riot gear close behind me and getting closer. I was aware that many of my fellow mineworkers had already been battered to the ground, where they were ferociously beaten by other officers on foot.

It was the scene of a running battle between a highly trained and disciplined police force out of control and coal miners striking to save their industry, jobs and way of life. This was not Naseby, Bosworth or Towton; it was Orgreave coking plant, near Sheffield. It was a glorious English summer's day and yet it felt like civil war.

Once at the top of the hill we found refuge in a supermarket. Some residents in the village opened their doors to allow miners to escape from the galloping horses, but there were instances of police on horseback following them into the homes of those trying to help.

Was I terrified? Of course I was. The actions of the police at Orgreave were far from proportionate.

Following the Hillsborough inquiry I have called for an investigation into the actions of the police during the miners' strike. To my certain knowledge there was widespread telephone tapping. There were, in my view, malicious arrests and prosecutions of many miners. The worst examples were charges of riot brought against a number of miners who were later acquitted – had they been found guilty, they could have faced lengthy spells in prison, up to and including life sentences.

The cases collapsed because of unreliable police evidence. During the trial it came to light that the BBC had reversed footage of scenes at Orgreave to give the impression that miners were responsible for starting violent scenes, when in fact it was the police that had instigated the violence.

Once again, as with Hillsborough, police officers are apparently confessing that they were instructed to fabricate statements in connection with Orgreave and the policing of the miners' strike. I see no difference between that and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

We need to know to what extent agent provocateurs were used by the authorities at Orgreave and who authorised it. Two miners, David Jones and Joe Green, were killed in suspicious circumstances on the picket lines during the strike. We need to know if those deaths were ever properly investigated. If not, we deserve to be told why not.

Orgreave will be remembered in the history of working class struggle for those who fought valiantly for their industry, jobs and communities. It was a terrifying experience, but I was proud to have been there.